Beginning on July 1, the minimum wage for non-tipped workers in Cook County will increase from $13.35 to $13.70. The minimum wage for tipped workers will increase from $7.40 to $8.00. This increase will apply to hourly, salaried, and tipped employees, who in any particular two-week period, perform at least two hours of work for an employer while physically present within the geographic boundaries of Cook County. In comparison, the State of Illinois minimum wage (outside of Cook County) is $13.00 per hour.

The Cook County Minimum Wage Ordinance sets the threshold amount that an employer must legally pay its employees. The Ordinance also lists the factors that the Cook County Human Rights Commission (“Commission”) uses to calculate the minimum wage increase each year.

Each year, the Commission may adjust the minimum wage based on the greatest of the following: (i) the Federal minimum wage, (ii) Illinois State minimum wage, or (iii) Cook County’s current minimum wage, adjusted to reflect an increase, if any, to the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”). If CPI increases by more than 2.5% in any year, the Cook County minimum wage increase shall be capped at 2.5%. The ordinance also provides that there will be no minimum wage increase in any year where the unemployment rate in Cook County in the preceding year was greater than or equal to 8.5%. Based on these factors, the Cook County Commission determined that the minimum wage should be increased from $13.35 to $13.70 and for tipped employees  $7.40 to $8.00.