The state of California's current minimum wage is $15.00 per hour for employers that have 26 or more employees and $14.00 per hour for employers that have fewer than 26 employees. However, California cities and counties routinely implement their own minimum wage requirements and five such localities—Pasadena, Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, Emeryville, and San Francisco—will be increasing their minimum wage rates, effective July 1, 2022, as follows:
| Locale |
Current Minimum Wage
Rate |
Minimum Wage Rate on 7.1.2022 |
| Pasadena |
$15.00 |
$16.11 |
| Los Angeles County |
$15.00 |
$15.96 |
| City of Los Angeles |
$15.00 |
$16.04 |
| Emeryville |
$17.13 |
$17.68 |
| San Francisco |
$16.32 |
$16.99 |
Pasadena
The hourly minimum wage in Pasadena, California, will rise from $15.00 to $16.11, according to a notice issued by the city's Code Compliance Division. The minimum wage rate applies to employees working at least two hours in Pasadena per week, regardless of how many employees the employer has. This is the first year the city is adjusting its minimum wage rate based on changes to the consumer price index, as required by Pasadena's Minimum Wage Ordinance. Employers are required to post the updated minimum wage poster, which is available in English and Spanish on the city's website.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California's hourly minimum wage will rise from $15.00 to $15.96, according to a March 8, 2022, media release issued by the county's Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. The minimum wage rate applies to employees working at least two hours per week in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, regardless of how many employees the employer has. Like Pasadena, this is the first year Los Angeles County has adjusted the minimum wage rate based on changes to the consumer price index, as required by the county's Minimum Wage Ordinance. Employers are required to post the updated minimum wage poster, which is available on the county's website in multiple languages. The City of Los Angeles, California, has a separate minimum wage rate from Los Angeles County. The city's hourly minimum wage rate will rise from $15.00 to $16.04, effective July 1, 2022. Employers are required to post the updated minimum wage poster, which is available on the city's website.
Emeryville
The hourly minimum wage in Emeryville, California, will rise from $17.13 to $17.68, according to the city's Minimum Wage Ordinance. The minimum wage applies to employees working at least two hours per week in Emeryville, regardless of how many employees the employer has. Emeryville's minimum wage rate is annually adjusted based on changes to the consumer price index, according to the city's minimum wage code. There is currently no updated minimum wage poster available on the city's website.
San Francisco
San Francisco, California's hourly minimum wage will rise from $16.32 to $16.99, according to the city's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement website. The minimum wage rate applies to participants in California's Welfare-to-Work Program and employees working at least two hours in San Francisco per week, regardless of how many employees the employer has. Like Emeryville, San Francisco's minimum wage is adjusted annually based on changes to the consumer price index, according to the city's minimum wage code. There is currently no updated minimum wage poster available on the city's website.
Employers operating in these locations should connect with their payroll providers to ensure that the increases are implemented, where necessary, in the time required and update required posters when they are made available.
