ARTICLE
15 September 2026

Here We Go Again: California’s Minimum Wage Is Headed Up To $17.40

PR
Proskauer Rose LLP

Contributor

The world’s leading organizations and global players choose Proskauer to represent them when they need it the most. Our top tier team of star trial attorneys, acclaimed transactional lawyers and exceptionally talented partners and associates have earned a reputation for the relentless pursuit of perfection and a dauntless pursuit of success.
California's statewide minimum wage is set to increase to $17.40 per hour on January 1, 2027, raising the salary threshold for exempt employees to $72,384. With numerous cities and counties imposing even higher local minimum wage rates, how should employers prepare for these cascading changes across the Golden State?
United States California Employment and HR
Proskauer Rose LLP are most popular:
  • within Insurance topic(s)

It’s that time of year again—the temperatures are high, summer vacations are winding down, and Sacramento has taken the minimum wage up another notch.

Beginning January 1, 2027, California’s statewide minimum wage will increase from $16.90 to $17.40 per hour. Importantly, the 50-cent bump has implications even for employers with no minimum wage workers because it also raises the salary threshold required for exempt employees. Starting January 1, 2027, that threshold will rise to $72,384.

Employers should also remember that $17.40 is merely the statewide floor. As we have previously reported here and here, numerous cities and counties in the Golden State impose their own, higher minimum wage rates, and employers must comply with the higher applicable rate. (Despite a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research finding that California’s minimum-wage increase for fast food workers resulted in increased unemployment.) So, while January 1 may still seem comfortably far away, California employers should get ahead of the game by reviewing payroll practices now.

Here We Go Again: California’s Minimum Wage Is Headed Up To $17.40

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

[View Source]

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More