Maryland’s minimum hourly wage will be $15 beginning Jan. 1 under a bill from Governor Wes Moore that passed in the General Assembly on Tuesday.
The pay hike that lawmakers approved is less ambitious than what Moore sought, but the governor has maintained an upbeat tone as the bill worked its way through the legislature. He is scheduled to begin signing bills into law on Tuesday of next week.
State lawmakers, though, removed the link to the Consumer Price Index and delayed the minimum wage increase by a few months. Maryland’s minimum wage for businesses with 15 or more employees is $13.25 per hour, and it’s $12.80 for those with fewer than 15 workers, according to the Department of Legislative Services.
Under the current law, the minimum wage would have hit $15 per hour on Jan. 1, 2025 for large businesses, and on July 1, 2026 for small businesses.
