YELLOWKNIFE (July 10, 2025) –Effective September 1, 2025, the Northwest Territories minimum wage will increase from $16.70 per hour to $16.95 per hour. This increase is based on the percentage changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the average hourly wage for 2024.

In 2022, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) changed the way it calculates and adjusts the minimum wage. The new method has ensured moderate and predictable increases to the minimum wage rate, which helps provide stability and certainty for the territory’s business community while helping residents of the NWT keep up with the cost of living.  

 The annual public survey was available on the GNWT’s Open Engagement Portal from January 30 to February 27, 2025. In total, 250 individuals completed the survey, including nearly 210 employees, 29 employers, and 11 respondents who identified as ‘other’. A What We Heard Report summarizing engagement feedback has been published here.

For the third consecutive year, the GNWT has used this new method to adjust the minimum wage rate, ensuring minimum wage earners receive annual raises while keeping financial impacts on businesses more manageable. This measured approach fosters stability to ultimately build a stronger economy and workforce in the NWT, which is particularly valuable during times of economic uncertainty. 
Related links
•    NWT Minimum Wage
•    Have Your Say – Minimum Wage Annual Survey
•    What We Heard Report – Annual Minimum Wage Survey

Quick facts
•    The minimum wage rate is adjusted annually using a formula based on the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Yellowknife and the percentage change in the average hourly wage in the NWT for the preceding calendar year.
•    Many jurisdictions adjust their minimum wage rates based on inflation alone, using the CPI, an indicator of changes in prices experienced by consumers. All the provinces and territorial capitals experienced lower inflation in 2024 than in 2023. 
•    In 2024, Yellowknife's annual inflation rate, as measured by the CPI, was 1.9%, a 1.4 percentage point decline from the previous year (3.3 percent).
The average hourly wage in the NWT only increased slightly from 2023 to 2024 (0.8 percent), resulting in a lower increase to the minimum wage rate in 2025.  

For media requests, please contact: 

Agata Gutkowska
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the Northwest Territories
agata_gutkowska@gov.nt.ca
867-767-9352 Ext. 71073