By Deb Belt
Patch Maryland, June 30, 2025
Beginning July 1 ... Hourly workers in Montgomery County will see the minimum wage increase by 50 cents an hour to $17.65 for large employers with 51 or more employees and $16 for those with 11 to 50 employees. For smaller employers with 10 or fewer employees, it increases from $15 (the state minimum wage floor) to $15.50. ...
“We know from experience that minimum wage increases on July 1 will be good for local workers, businesses and communities," said Gina Schaefer, founder of A Few Cool Hardware Stores, with 13 Ace Hardware stores in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, in a news release from Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. "The cost of living has gone up, and so should wages. The more money that people have, the more they can afford to spend in our stores and others. Fair pay and great customer service has fueled our growth since we opened our first store in 2003. We took our investment in employees to the next level when we became employee-owned in 2021 — strengthening our business for the future.” ...