California minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in California is $16.90 an hour in 2026, rising to $17.40 on January 1, 2027. California adjusts one statewide rate every January 1 for inflation, capped at 3.5% a year, under Labor Code section 1182.12. Fast food and health care workers have separate, higher minimums, tips can never count toward the wage, and many cities and counties set rates above the state's.
Contents12 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $16.90 an hour, since January 1, 2026136 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $17.40 on January 1, 2027 (announced)2 |
| Tipped employees | $16.90, the full minimum wage before tips17 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week; after 8 hours a day96 · details |
| Full-time pay | $676 a week, $35,152 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | California Labor Commissioner's Office, 833-526-4636 |
What to know about the California minimum wage
California's statewide figure is set by Labor Code section 1182.12. A phase-in under that law ran separate rates for small and large employers until both reached $15.50 on January 1, 2023; since then a single rate has been adjusted each January 1 for national inflation, with any raise capped at 3.5% and no decrease allowed.1 The Department of Finance certified $17.40 on July 31, 2026, and that rate takes effect on January 1, 2027.2 The statewide rate also sets the salary test for overtime-exempt employees, who must earn at least twice the minimum wage for full-time work: $72,384 a year from January 1, 2027.2
Two industries have their own, higher floors. Fast food restaurants belonging to national chains with at least 60 establishments nationwide have paid at least $20.00 an hour since April 1, 2024; the Fast Food Council may raise it each year by 3.5% or the rise in consumer prices, whichever is smaller.4 Under Senate Bill 525, covered health care workers earn between $19.28 and $25.00 from July 1, 2026, depending on the type of facility, with each group stepping up to $25.00 on its own schedule.5
California allows no tip credit, so servers and bartenders receive the full minimum wage before tips. New employees with no similar experience may be paid 85% of the minimum for their first 160 hours in the occupation.1 Many cities and counties set higher local rates, and an employer must pay whichever rate is highest.2
The Labor Commissioner's Office enforces the law. Employers must post the statewide notice and the wage order for their industry and show pay rates on pay stubs, and a worker paid too little can file a wage claim to recover back wages, penalties and liquidated damages.2
All 2026 rates
Almost every employer pays the statewide rate or a higher local rate. Two sector wages sit above it: $20.00 since April 1, 2024 for fast food chain restaurants, and $19.28 to $25.00 from July 1, 2026 for health care facilities, depending on the facility. The lower rate for employers with 25 or fewer employees ended when it caught up with the standard rate on January 1, 2023.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide minimum wage | All employers, with one rate since January 1, 2023$17.40 from January 1, 20272 | $16.90136 |
| Fast food restaurant employees | $20.00 an hour since April 1, 2024 at limited-service restaurants of national chains with at least 60 establishments nationwide. The Fast Food Council may raise it once a year by 3.5% or the rise in consumer prices, whichever is smaller. Some bakeries, restaurants inside large grocery stores, and outlets in airports, hotels, event centers, theme parks, museums, gambling establishments and certain public lands are exempt. | $20.004 |
| Health care: large systems, dialysis clinics and large-county facilities | $25.00 from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027 at systems with 10,000 or more full-time equivalent employees, dialysis clinics and facilities in large counties, then adjusted for inflation from January 1, 2028. | $25.005 |
| Health care: community, rural and intermittent clinics | $22.00 from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, including associated urgent care clinics, then $25.00 from July 1, 2027. | $22.005 |
| Health care: other covered facilities | $23.00 from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028 at all other covered facilities, facilities in medium-size counties and independent skilled nursing facilities, then $25.00 from July 1, 2028. | $23.005 |
| Health care: safety net hospitals and small-county facilities | $19.28 from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, then $19.95 from July 1, 2027, with further steps until it reaches $25.00 in 2033. | $19.285 |
| Learners, first 160 hours | Employees with no similar or related experience may be paid 85% of the minimum wage, rounded to the nearest nickel, for their first 160 hours in the occupation. | See rule1 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Not allowed: tips are on top of the full minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $16.90 an hour17 |
California allows no tip credit: tipped workers must receive the full state minimum wage, or a higher local minimum, before tips.
Overtime and salaried staff
| Weekly overtime | After 40 hours in a workweek, at 1.5 times the regular rate96 |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | After 8 hours in a workday |
| Double time | After 12 hours in a workday, and after 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek |
| Seventh day | Time and a half for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek; double time after 8 hours |
| Exempt salary | $1,352 a week ($70,304 a year), rising to $72,384 a year on January 1, 20273210 |
Time and a half after 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week and for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday; double time after 12 hours a day and after 8 hours on the seventh day (Labor Code 510). Alternative workweek schedules and exempt employees are treated differently.
Two times the state minimum wage for full-time work (minimum wage x 2 x 40 hours x 52 weeks); employees must also meet the duties tests.
Overtime at the minimum wage of $16.90 is $25.35 an hour. Salaried managers, administrators and professionals are exempt from overtime only if they meet the duties tests and are paid at least the exempt salary. See overtime rules in every state or calculate pay with overtime.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the rate rises with the national consumer price index, by no more than 3.5% and never downward (Labor Code section 1182.12). The Department of Finance certifies the new figure by August 1, and the Department of Industrial Relations announces it.
The Department of Industrial Relations announced the 2027 rate on August 13, 2026.
Indexed to inflation: yes. Adjusted each January 1 by national CPI-W; increases capped at 3.5% and the rate never falls.1
Rate history
Who is covered
Nearly all employees in California are covered. Exemptions include outside salespersons, the employer's parent, spouse or child, and apprentices in state-approved programs; workers with disabilities may be paid less under a license. Where a city or county sets a higher minimum, the higher rate applies.
- Overtime is owed at 1.5 times pay after 8 hours in a workday or 40 in a week, and double time after 12 hours in a day or after 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday.
- The separate rate of $14.00 for employers with 25 or fewer employees in 2022 ended when both rates reached $15.50 on January 1, 2023.
- Some cities also set sector minimums of their own, such as hotel worker wages.
Local rates in California
Cities and counties may set higher minimum wages, and employers must pay the highest rate that applies to the work.
Places with their own rate
- Emeryville$20.34
- West Hollywood$20.25
- Mountain View$19.70
- Berkeley$19.61
- San Francisco$19.61
- Sunnyvale$19.50
- Richmond$19.18
- Belmont$18.95
- El Cerrito$18.82
- Cupertino$18.70
- Los Altos$18.70
- Palo Alto$18.70
- Santa Clara$18.70
- Redwood City$18.65
- San Mateo$18.60
- Pasadena$18.57
- Milpitas$18.50
- Los Angeles County (unincorporated areas)$18.47
- Santa Monica$18.47
- Sonoma$18.47
- San Jose$18.45
- Los Angeles$18.42
- Petaluma$18.31
- Santa Rosa$18.21
- South San Francisco$18.15
- Fremont$18.05
- San Mateo County (unincorporated areas)$17.95
- Half Moon Bay$17.91
- Malibu$17.91
- East Palo Alto$17.90
- Burlingame$17.86
- Foster City$17.85
- Hayward$17.79
- Alameda$17.76
- San Carlos$17.75
- San Diego$17.75
- Novato$17.73
- Menlo Park$17.55
- Daly City$17.50
- Oakland$17.34
Each local page lists that place's tiers, next change and who is covered.
Largest cities in California
- Los AngelesLocal $18.42
- San DiegoLocal $17.75
- San JoseLocal $18.45
- San FranciscoLocal $19.61
- FresnoState $16.90
- SacramentoState $16.90
- Long BeachState $16.90
- OaklandLocal $17.34
- BakersfieldState $16.90
Cities of California among the 50 most populous in the US (U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates for July 1, 2025). “Local” marks a city with its own minimum wage, “Regional” a state wage region, and “Federal rate” a city where the federal $7.25 is the rate that applies.
Neighboring states
If you live near a state line, the rate that applies is the one where you do the work, not where you live or where the employer is based.
| State | Per hour now |
|---|---|
| Oregon | $14.55 to $16.80 |
| Arizona | $15.15 |
| Nevada | $12.00 |
Compare every state on the ranked list and map.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | California Labor Commissioner's Office |
|---|---|
| Phone | 833-526-4636 |
| The law | Cal. Labor Code 1182.12 (statewide minimum wage); Cal. Labor Code 1474-1475 (fast food minimum wage, AB 1228); Cal. Health & Safety Code 1182.14 (health care worker minimum wage, SB 525) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 4 California DIR, Labor Commissioner's Office, Fast Food Minimum Wage FAQ Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 5
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- 8 UC Berkeley Labor Center, Inventory of US City and County Minimum Wage Ordinances (cross-check only, updated 2026-09-30) Secondary reference · Checked Oct 9, 2026
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