The minimum wage will go up to $15 an hour in two New England states in 2023 — among the highest rates in the county.
The new rate in Massachusetts takes effect on New Year's Day, the last of five increases mandated by a 2018 law.
"A lot of people thought this was impossible," said Andrew Farnitano, spokesperson for Raise Up Massachusetts, a labor-backed group that pushed for the minimum wage increases. "We were told that $15 an hour was unachievable, was a pipe-dream."
Massachusetts will be joined by Connecticut at $15 an hour on June 1.
Those rates fall short of the leading minimum wage states — Washington, which is going to $15.74 in 2023, and California, at $15.50.
Elsewhere in New England, the minimum wage jumps above $13 an hour in Maine (increasing from $12.75 to $13.80), Vermont (from $12.55 to $13.18) and Rhode Island (from $12.25 to $13).
New Hampshire's minimum wage remains tied to the federal rate, which has been stuck at $7.25 for over a decade.
Some states' laws include lower rates for tipped workers, farmworkers or younger employees.
In some states, future increases tied to inflation
The increases in Massachusetts were included in a so-called grand bargain, a 2018 compromise between business and labor groups embraced by the Legislature.
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