March 2022: Howard County Increases Minimum Wage

Update Applicable to:
All employers in Howard County, Maryland

What happened?
On December 13, 2021, Howard County Council Executive Calvin Ball signed Council Bill No. 82-2021 into law, which is a series of local wage increases beginning on April 1, 2022. These wage increases will eventually bring the rate up to $16.

What are the details?
Effective April 1, 2022, under the new law, the minimum wage for large employers (more than 15 employees) will be:

• April 1, 2022 – $14
• April 1, 2023 – $15
• April 1, 2024 – $16

Small employers (15 or fewer employees):

• April 1, 2022 – $12.50
• April 1, 2023 – $13.25
• April 1, 2024 – $14
• April 1, 2025 – $14.75
• April 1, 2026 – $15.50
• July 1, 2026 – $16

For Howard County government employees, the increased rates will be:

• July 1, 2022 – $15
• July 1, 2024 – $16

After the scheduled rate increases, minimum wage rates will be adjusted via the Consumer Price Index.

Lastly, the minimum cash wage for a tipped employee is $3.63.

“The impact of this legislation will relieve a financial burden for thousands of low-wage workers, moreover it will benefit 25 percent of the county’s Asian and Pacific Islander workers, 30 percent of the county’s working women, 33 percent of the county’s African American workers, 51 percent of the county’s Latinx workers, and 75 percent of workers in low-income families,” Howard County Councilmember Opel Jones said in a statement. “Leading and legislating through an equitable lens by not delaying economic justice and prosperity for one out of four families who may struggle to provide adequate housing, proper clothing, and food for their families is paramount. As a recommendation from the Racial Equity Task Force, I am humbled by the passage of Council 82-2021, and thrilled to earn the support from residents and of our advocate community.”

For more information, please see the links below:

Council Bill No. 82-2021

Howard County Article

Article

What do employers need to do?
Employers should review the links above and make sure they have the correct rates for their employees to abide by the county’s new law.