(From a press release)
Today, the Montgomery County Commissioners unanimously voted to approve a historic increase to the minimum starting wage for County employees. Salaries for all County jobs will now begin at $20.52 per hour, as part of a broader strategy to ensure Montgomery County is a place where everyone wants to live, work, and serve.
The decision, approved at the Salary Board Meeting on Wednesday, July 16, will immediately impact 129 County employees—many of whom serve the more than 860,000 county’s residents in essential, front-line roles such as court support staff, administrative assistants, and clerks. It also represents the highest minimum starting wage among local governments across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Montgomery County sets the standard for what public service looks like — we have top talent working hard to deliver for our nearly 900,000 residents,” said Commissions Chair Neil K. Makhija. “With this historic increase of the County’s minimum starting wage, this isn’t business as usual. We hope this sets an example for Harrisburg and others to follow statewide.”
“Increasing the minimum wage that the County offers is not only the right thing to do for our employees—it’s also the right thing to do for our residents,” said said Vice Chair Jamila H. Winder. “This is another way that we’re showing our commitment to making Montgomery County a place where talented individuals want to build their careers. These actions reflect our values: we’re here to serve.”
“I supported the increase in starting base salaries to be competitive with the market,” said Commissioner Tom DiBello. “To attract and retain good people we need to have a competitive base starting salary within Montgomery County. As I stated in the meeting to me this is not about minimum wage but rather fairly compensating people for the work they are doing. If you want to attract and retain good people you have to be competitive with the market.”
Increasing the starting salary for county employees is the most recent step that Montgomery County has taken to lead by example in workforce retention and recruitment. In the several years, the County has:
- undertaken a county-wide comprehensive compensation study that resulted in 88.8 percent of eligible employees receiving a salary increase in their paycheck in 2024;
- instituted the most family-friendly paid parental leave policy for government employees in Pennsylvania by doubling the parental paid leave from 6 weeks to 12 weeks; and
- invested in new benefits such as financial support for childcare.
“This significant decision by the Board of Commissioners proves that economic dignity and progress can start at the county level,” said state Sen. Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia). “State lawmakers have fought for years to raise the minimum wage, but while Harrisburg continues to deliberate, Montgomery County takes bold action. By raising wages for public workers, the county is supporting neighbors, families, and entire communities. When workers are paid fairly, neighborhoods thrive, businesses benefit, public trust grows—and dignity wins.”
“I’m proud to live in and represent a county that values its workers,” Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery) said. “As a co-sponsor of the legislation to raise the minimum wage in the Pennsylvania Senate, I strongly support the efforts of the Montgomery County Commissioners to ensure their workers have a wage that is realistic for today’s economy. When workers can afford to live in the communities they work in, the local economy benefits and the quality of living increases for everyone.”
State Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Cheltenham) also praised the announcement, saying, “We can’t solve housing insecurity without adequate wages. We can’t solve hunger without adequate wages. We can’t reduce health disparities without adequate wages. I’m happy that Montgomery County is dedicated to addressing these persistent quality-of-life challenges with both expanded services and the proper returns of a hard day’s work.”
“There is a reason Montgomery County is thriving,” said Rep. Joe Webster (D-Collegeville). “In business and in government, quality of life attracts the best employees. What our leadership does matters, and I applaud our commissioners’ commitment to a better future for all residents of our county.”
Steve Catanese, President of SEIU Local 668, which represents 20,000 state, county, local government, and private sector workers across Pennsylvania was also pleased.
“Pennsylvania’s workers have long deserved a raise and we applaud the Montgomery County Commissioners for raising the County’s minimum wage to $20 an hour,” said Catanese. “With Harrisburg unable to raise the minimum wage above $7.25 an hour, workers are falling behind. In these difficult economic times, it’s vital that employers provide workers with the supports they need to survive, unions have been on the front lines in the fight to for living wages. It’s vital that employers to take bold steps. It’s past time that politicians in Harrisburg take the hint and give all Pennsylvania a raise, no matter where they work. We applaud the Commissioners for recognizing this and taking action in Montgomery County.”
This wage adjustment was made possible in part by a rigorous cost-saving review led by the county’s Office of Innovation, Strategy, and Performance and the Department of Finance, which identified more than $2.5 million in savings through measures such as eliminating unnecessary vacancies, consolidating digital resources, streamlining printing costs, and more cost reduction measures.