Cook County workers are getting a mid‑summer raise. The Cook County Commission on Human Rights has notified employees that the county minimum wage will increase on July 1, 2026, to $15.40 an hour for non‑tipped workers and $9.25 for tipped workers. The change applies to adults who work in Cook County, including delivery drivers who perform work inside county lines, although municipalities that have adopted their own minimum‑wage rules may be exempt. Workers and small business owners are being urged to get payroll systems in order and confirm which local rate applies where the work is actually performed.
In a notice published June 1, 2026, the Commission said the bump follows the county’s annual formula and confirmed that the Minimum Wage Ordinance covers “hourly, salaried, and tipped employees” aged 18 and older. According to a news release from Cook County, the April Consumer Price Index came in higher than the ordinance’s inflationary cap, so this year’s increase is limited by the 2.5% cap on CPI‑based adjustments. The original minimum‑wage measure, Ordinance No. 16‑5768, was approved by the Cook County Board of Commissioners on October 26, 2016, as recorded on Cook County Legistar.
New rates and timing
The latest county notice sets the non‑tipped minimum wage at $15.40 per hour and the tipped minimum at $9.25 per hour starting July 1, 2026. That is the date employers need to have their new pay rates in place, not circled in pencil on a calendar somewhere in the back office.
The move has drawn national payroll attention. Bloomberg Law reported the upcoming hike, and local media including The Chicago Defender highlighted the county’s announcement and pointed employers and workers to the updated FAQ and downloadable notice posters.
How the county calculates increases
Under the Cook County Minimum Wage Ordinance, the Commission must reset the county minimum wage each July using a simple “whichever is highest” rule. The rate is pegged to the greatest of three figures: the federal minimum wage, the Illinois state minimum wage, or a county calculation that tracks the Consumer Price Index…