Boston cannot set its own minimum wage; Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151 §1 establishes a uniform $15 statewide hourly minimum wage with no carve-out allowing local increases above the state floor.
Under MGL Ch. 151 §1 as amended by the 2018 Grand Bargain (Ch. 121 of the Acts of 2018), the Massachusetts minimum wage rose in steps to $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2023. Tipped workers receive a $6.75 service rate, which together with tips must reach $15.00. Massachusetts is a state-preemption jurisdiction for wages, meaning Boston cannot lawfully impose a higher minimum wage on private employers absent a Home Rule petition approved by the legislature. Boston's only mechanism to require above-state wages is the Living Wage Ordinance applied to city contractors and aid recipients.
Employers paying below $15 face triple damages, attorneys' fees, civil penalties, and Attorney General enforcement under MGL Ch. 149 §150, with personal liability for owners and officers.
Boston, MA
Boston employees are covered by two state-level paid leave regimes: Paid Family and Medical Leave under MGL Ch. 175M and Earned Sick Time under MGL Ch. 149 §...
Boston, MA
Boston's Living Wage Ordinance requires city contractors and certain subcontractors, including some hotel-related service vendors, to pay covered employees a...
See how Boston's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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