Minimum Wage
Lab. Code 1182.12 — $15 an hour, adjusted each year by up to 3.5 percent
$15, then indexed. The California minimum wage reached $15 an hour for larger employers in 2022 and for employers of 25 or fewer in 2023. After that, the Director of Finance calculates an adjusted minimum by August 1 each year, raising it by the lesser of 3.5 percent and the change in the consumer price index for urban wage earners, rounded to the nearest ten cents, effective the following January 1.
If the index falls, the minimum wage does not go down. The adjusted figure for a given year is set by that calculation rather than printed in the section.
Sources for this section (1)
- Lab. Code 1182.12 — Minimum wage
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed California attorney.