CA Minimum Wage Increases In 2024: These Cities Have The Highest Pay

CALIFORNIA — The Golden State now has the second-highest state minimum wage in the country after it hit $16 Jan. 1. But depending on where you work or what you do in California, the minimum wage could be even higher — as much as $23 an hour.

Many cities and counties across the state set their own, higher minimum wages. And for the first time, California is rolling out higher statewide minimum wages for specific industries beginning in 2024.

Though some industries will have a much higher floor, the minimum wage in California increased 50 cents to $16 an hour on Jan. 1, 2024. That covers all employers, regardless of size. Annual increases are based on changes to the consumer price index using a formula defined by state law.

That gives California the second-highest state minimum wage in the U.S. after Washington, which saw its pay floor hit $16.28 on Jan. 1. Washington, D.C. will continue to top all states with a $17 minimum wage, which is expected to increase a to-be-decided amount on July 1.

But many Californians will enjoy an even higher minimum wage next year. The minimum wage at many fast food restaurants in the state will hit $20 on April 1. The higher wage applies to workers at restaurants that have at least 60 locations nationwide, with an exception for restaurants that make their own bread, like Panera.

Beginning June 1, the minimum wage will increase to as high as $23 for certain health care workers across the state. The exact minimum wage varies from employer to employer and is determined by a long list of factors outlined in a state law passed in the fall. Minimum pay rates will be either $23, $21 or $18 an hour. The state will publish a list of facilities and their minimum wages in January.

Increases are planned to health care workers' minimum wages over the next decade, with the pay floor hitting $25 between 2026 and 2033 depending on the type of facility.

According to an inventory compiled by the UC Berkeley Labor Center, 40 cities and counties in California have pay rates higher than the state minimum wage. Like the statewide minimum wage, all planned 2024 increases are around 3 percent compared to last year.

West Hollywood has the state's highest overall minimum wage at $19.08, a Patch analysis found. That's set to increase even higher on July 1.

Some cities have higher minimum wages for specific industries. The minimum pay for hotel workers in Oakland Jan. 1 will be either $17.94 or $23.91 per hour, depending on their employer-provided benefits. The city's minimum wage for all other workers will hit $16.50 beginning next year.

Los Angeles has similar provisions, with a $19.73 minimum pay rate for hotel workers and $16.78 minimum wage for all other workers.

The Los Angeles wages, like those in most cities and counties, are set annually based on formulas centered around the consumer price index. In the case of LA, they get bumped on July 1 each year.

However, city and county officials in Los Angeles have proposed $25 minimum wages, and voters in nearby Long Beach will decide on a hospitality industry minimum wage of $24 in March along with incremental raises reaching nearly $30 by the time the 2028 Olympics roll into Southern California.

San Francisco has the highest minimum wage among California's largest cities, at $18.07. That's expected to increase July 1.

There are some exceptions to local minimum wages. Many cities apply the higher wage requirements only to employees who work more than two hours in a year, for example.

Below is a list of cities and counties where the minimum wage increased on Jan. 1:

*Hayward, Novato and Sonoma have a tiered minimum wage system: Pay rates are higher than those listed for larger employers.

+Oakland has a separate, higher minimum wage for hotel workers.

Below is a list of cities and counties where the minimum wage will increase on July 1, with the exact amount to be determined. The listed wages will continue to be in effect in the first half of 2024:

+Santa Monica and Los Angeles have separate, higher minimum wages for hotel workers.