California Minimum Wage 2026 by City and Industry

Find the wage floor for the place where you work

California’s statewide minimum wage is $16.90 per hour beginning January 1, 2026, under Labor Code section 1182.12. A higher local or covered industry rate can apply. The correct comparison begins with your work location, the date of the work and the employer’s industry.¹

Your employer’s headquarters and your mailing address do not necessarily identify the applicable local wage. Local ordinances generally focus on work performed within their boundaries, subject to their coverage rules. Labor Code sections 1197 and 1197.1 provide protections against payment below the applicable minimum wage.^{1, 2}

Identify the actual street address and whether it lies within an incorporated city or an unincorporated county area. Los Angeles city and unincorporated Los Angeles County have different 2026 rates. A business with “Los Angeles” in its mailing address may be subject to a different jurisdiction’s ordinance.^{5, 6}

How to use the 2026 table

The table lists general hourly wage floors effective on the stated dates. It does not replace coverage rules, industry standards, government contract requirements or special hotel ordinances. Labor Code section 1197 establishes the obligation to pay the applicable minimum; the linked local notices identify the general local rates.^{1, 2}

For a July increase, use the prior rate for earlier work and the new rate only from its effective date. Do not apply a July 2026 rate to the entire calendar year. Preserve the notice that applied when you worked, because city websites may later display the following year’s rate.

Employer size matters in Hayward, Novato and Sonoma. Read the local definition before counting only the people at your location. A local ordinance can count employees beyond a single branch, and the statewide floor still applies when a local small employer rate would otherwise be lower.^{29, 34, 36}

Fast food has a separate statewide floor

Covered fast food restaurant employees must receive at least $20 per hour under Labor Code section 1475. That floor took effect April 1, 2024 and is still the rate in DIR’s guidance. Coverage depends on the restaurant and statutory definitions, not simply whether food is prepared quickly.³

The law generally addresses qualifying limited service restaurants that are part of a national chain, with statutory exclusions and special rules. A franchise location can be covered even when its owner operates only a local business. Check Labor Code sections 1474 and 1475 and the employer’s actual relationship to the chain.³

If another applicable wage law requires more, compare the obligations rather than assuming the fast food rate displaces every local rule. Keep the restaurant’s location, brand, ownership information and work dates with your payroll records. Those facts establish which standards need to be checked.^{1, 3}

Health care wages depend on the facility category

Labor Code sections 1182.14 through 1182.16 establish different schedules for covered health care facilities. Coverage can include support work such as janitorial services, food service, billing and scheduling, not only licensed clinical jobs. Some contractor employees are covered when the statutory conditions are met.⁴

County facilities follow schedules tied to statutory county categories. Certain facilities have different coverage conditions, and approved waivers can matter. Do not choose a rate based only on the word “hospital” or “clinic” in a business name. Identify the facility’s category and any applicable waiver under Labor Code sections 1182.14 through 1182.16.⁴

A health care job title also does not automatically create an overtime exemption. Covered salaried employees face a special salary comparison involving the health care minimum and the statewide minimum, plus the applicable duties test. Labor Code section 1182.14 and section 515 must be considered together.⁴

Hotel and contract rates can exceed the general table

The general city rate is not necessarily the hotel rate. Santa Monica identifies a $25 hourly hotel rate beginning July 1, 2026 under Municipal Code section 4.63.015. West Hollywood’s hotel worker rate is $20.87 per hour from July 1, 2026 under Municipal Code chapters 5.127 and 5.130, against $20.25 for other employers.^{13, 14}

Government contracts, public works and specialized local ordinances can create additional obligations. Ask which wage schedule the employer used for your specific assignment. Do not treat the general table as a ceiling on pay or a substitute for checking the contract and governing law.¹

Calculate the shortfall using the applicable California rate

The federal minimum is $7.25 per hour under 29 USC section 206(a)(1)(C), in effect since 2009. It does not authorize a California employer to pay below a higher applicable state or local minimum. California recovery must be evaluated under Labor Code sections 1194, 1197 and 1197.1.^{1, 2, 45}

In a state minimum wage example, you receive $15 per hour for eighty regular hours when $16.90 applies. The difference is $1.90 per hour, producing $152 in unpaid minimum wages. Comparing your pay only with the federal rate would conceal the entire California shortfall.^{1, 2}

In a Los Angeles city example for work after July 1, 2026, you receive $17 per hour for eighty regular hours when the applicable city rate is $18.42. The difference is $1.42 per hour, producing $113.60 in unpaid minimum wages under the local ordinance and Labor Code sections 1194 and 1197.^{2, 5}

Keep overtime separate. When a higher minimum affects the lawful regular rate, it can also affect overtime owed under Labor Code section 510. Do not calculate overtime using an unlawfully low hourly rate and then add only the straight time minimum wage difference.^{1, 2}

Also separate unpaid time from an underpaid rate. If the employer omitted closing work, multiplying only the recorded hours by the correct minimum still understates the claim. Wage Order 4, section 2, and the corresponding provisions of other wage orders address compensable hours worked.²

What can be recovered beyond the missing wages

Labor Code section 1194 authorizes recovery of unpaid minimum wages and qualifying attorney fees and costs. Section 1194.2 can add liquidated damages measured by unpaid minimum wages, subject to its requirements and defenses. Those remedies differ from civil penalties imposed through agency enforcement under section 1197.1.²

Labor Code section 1197.1 permits civil penalties of $100 per underpaid employee per pay period for an intentional initial violation and $250 for qualifying subsequent violations. These statutory amounts are not an automatic payment that every worker can simply add to a personal demand.²

Build a pay period worksheet showing the work location, dates, hours, required rate, amount paid and difference. Attach the official wage notice for each effective period. That allows a reviewer to separate a location dispute from a payroll calculation error.

Look up the employer through the California wage enforcement tracker, using both the business name and the legal entity on your wage statement. A prior record can identify an agency matter to examine. Your own entitlement still depends on your work and the applicable law. See California wage and hour claims for related remedies.

Questions about the 2026 minimum wage