Tompkins County Minimum Wage Study Final Report

Tompkins County has a higher cost of living than anywhere else in upstate New York, and its cost of living has increased disproportionately relative to wages in recent years. In spring and summer 2026, the Ithaca Co-Lab coordinated an effort to solicit testimony and present data analyses to help the Tompkins County Legislature decide whether to adopt a countywide minimum wage. 

The core of this project was to convene all the stakeholders affected by minimum wage increases, including workers, business owners, members of the care economy and government agencies. Given the challenges of getting feedback from workers, and the desire for a deeper dive into specific business issues, the researchers also organized focus groups and solicited individual verbal and written testimony. 

This report summarizes the testimony and presents data analyses and research literature to address the questions that arose during the discussions.