Join us for the next community convenings on April 28!
Attend one of the public convenings that are planned throughout the county:
Tompkins County is announcing the official launch of a community engagement process to support the county’s minimum wage study, beginning with a public convening on Tuesday, March 24, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the conference room at Tompkins County Whole Health, 55 Brown Road in Ithaca.
This first event marks the start of a series of community conversations designed to gather input from stakeholders across the county as policymakers consider the potential impacts of establishing a countywide minimum wage above the New York State minimum, which is currently $16 per hour.
The March 24 convening will provide an opportunity for participants to meet, share perspectives, and begin an open exchange of ideas. Additional convenings focused on specific stakeholder groups, including workers, businesses, the care economy, and data and policy experts, will be scheduled in the coming weeks. The project team is also working to support participation by addressing barriers such as childcare and transportation, with full details to be announced soon.
The Tompkins County Legislature authorized this study to explore the potential impacts of adopting a local law establishing a countywide minimum wage higher than the State minimum. The county issued a Request for Proposals in 2025 and subsequently entered into an agreement with the Cornell ILR Ithaca Co-Lab to conduct the study and facilitate community engagement.
The contract, which runs through December 2026, provides up to $50,000 for research, stakeholder convenings, and the development of a final report and policy recommendations.
The study is designed to examine a range of economic and social factors, including:
At the core of the project is a series of interactive, in-person convenings that will bring together workers, employers, researchers, and community organizations to share information and perspectives. These discussions will inform a final report and potential legislative options for county consideration.
Local data underscores the importance of this work. According to research supporting the study, approximately half of wage earners in Tompkins County earn less than the locally calculated 2026 living wage, currently $25.08 per hour for a single adult without children (a 1% increase from 2025 when it $24.82 per hour), while a significant portion earn close to the current minimum wage.