Cook County is set to see a minimum wage hike this summer.
Beginning July 1, the county covering several Chicago suburbs will raise its minimum wage to $13.70 for non-tipped workers and $8 for tipped employees, officials announced.
Last year, Cook County's minimum wage rose on July 1 from $13 to $13.35 for non-tipped workers, and from $6.60 to $7.40 for tipped workers.
"The [Minimum Wage Ordinance] sets the lowest amount an employer must legally pay their employees. Each year the minimum wage increases according to a formula set by the Ordinance," according to a release from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's office. "The MWO applies to hourly, salaried, and tipped employees over the age of 18, working in Cook County, even those who may be working within Cook County to make deliveries or driving within the County limits."
Employees are covered by the Cook County ordinance if:
- The employee has worked for an employer in Cook County for at least 2 hours in any two-week period, and
- The employer has four or more employees (or the employee is a domestic worker) and
- The employer maintains a business facility in Cook County or is issued a business license by Cook County.
In Chicago, the minimum wage was set to increase every year until reaching $15 an hour for small businesses by 2023.
In 2022, the city's minimum wage for non-tipped workers rose from $15 to $15.40 for large businesses that employ 21 or more workers, and for $14.50 for smaller businesses. And for tipped workers, the rates increased to $9.24 for large employers, and $8.70 for smaller businesses.
Cook County and the city of Chicago each have their own minimum wage ordinances, and both are higher than the state's current rate.
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Starting Jan. 1, 2023, minimum wage in the state rose from $12 an hour to $13 an hour.
