Los Angeles Minimum Wage 2026: City, County and State Rates

October 19, 2026

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Is This Your Situation?
3. Los Angeles Minimum Wage 2026: City vs. County vs. State
4. How to Tell Which Los Angeles Minimum Wage Applies to You
5. Who the LA Minimum Wage Covers
6. Paid Sick Leave in Los Angeles
7. Los Angeles Hotel Worker Minimum Wage
8. Fast Food and Health Care Workers in Los Angeles
9. Fair Work Week for LA Retail Workers
10. Fair Chance Hiring: Criminal History Questions
11. What If Your Employer Pays Less Than the Minimum Wage?
12. What to Consider If Your Pay Looks Wrong
13. How Long Do I Have to Act?
14. When to Talk to a Los Angeles Employment Lawyer
15. Frequently Asked Questions
    1. When does the Los Angeles minimum wage go up next?
    2. Do part-time workers get the LA minimum wage?
    3. I live in Los Angeles but work in another city. Which rate applies?

The Los Angeles minimum wage is $18.42 an hour as of July 1, 2026, for work done inside City of Los Angeles limits. That is higher than California’s $16.90 statewide rate, and it is not the only local rate in the area: unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County have their own. Below, we compare the rates, explain how to tell which one applies to you, and cover the other City rules that protect LA workers.

What Is the Los Angeles Minimum Wage in 2026?

The City of Los Angeles minimum wage is $18.42 an hour from July 1, 2026, for employees who work at least two hours a week inside City limits, according to the City’s Office of Wage Standards. Unincorporated Los Angeles County is $18.47, and the California minimum is $16.90.

Key Takeaways

• The City of Los Angeles rate rose by $0.55 to $18.42 an hour on July 1, 2026, and it adjusts every July 1 based on the Los Angeles-area Consumer Price Index (LAMC 187.02(d), City notice).
• Unincorporated Los Angeles County rose from $17.81 to $18.47 an hour on July 1, 2026 (LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs).
• The rate depends on where you work, not where you live or where your employer is headquartered (DCBA).
• Workers at covered hotels in the City must be paid at least $25.00 an hour from July 1, 2026 (City hotel worker rules, Reg. 7).
• An agreement to work for less does not waive your right to the minimum wage, and you can recover the unpaid balance plus interest, attorney’s fees and costs (Labor Code section 1194(a)).

Is This Your Situation?

• Your paycheck still shows an hourly rate below $18.42, even though you work in the City of Los Angeles.
• You are not sure whether your workplace is in the City, in unincorporated LA County, or in another city.
• You work at a large LA hotel and are not sure what you should be earning.
• Your retail schedule keeps changing at the last minute.
• You were asked about your criminal record before getting a job offer.

Los Angeles Minimum Wage 2026: City vs. County vs. State

Three different general minimum wages can apply in the Los Angeles area. The right one depends on the location of the work.

Where the work is done	Minimum wage	Effective	Previous rate	Source
City of Los Angeles	$18.42	July 1, 2026	$17.87	City Office of Wage Standards
Unincorporated Los Angeles County	$18.47	July 1, 2026	$17.81	LA County DCBA
California (where no higher local rate applies)	$16.90	January 1, 2026		Department of Industrial Relations
Covered hotels in the City of Los Angeles	$25.00	July 1, 2026	$22.50	City hotel worker rules
Covered fast food restaurants (statewide)	$20.00	April 1, 2024		Department of Industrial Relations

The unincorporated County rate is now 5 cents higher than the City rate. Both follow the same July 1 schedule, so a worker who moves between a City job and a County job can see a different rate even when the job is the same.

How to Tell Which Los Angeles Minimum Wage Applies to You

1. Start with where you physically work. According to the County, the rate is set by where you work, not by where you live or where your employer is based.
2. Check whether that address is inside City of Los Angeles limits. The City rate covers work done within the City’s geographic boundaries, so a “Los Angeles” mailing address alone does not decide it.
3. If it is not in any city, it is unincorporated County. The County rate applies to everyone who works at least two hours in a week in an unincorporated area, for all hours worked there.
4. If it is in another city, check that city. Some cities in the County, such as West Hollywood, have their own minimum wage ordinance. Otherwise, the state minimum applies.
5. Look at the posted notice. Employers covered by the City ordinance must post a notice with the current rate where employees work, in 13 languages (LAMC 188.03).

If you work in more than one area in the same week, different hours can carry different rates. An employment attorney can review your schedule and pay stubs to sort out which rate applied to each hour.

Who the LA Minimum Wage Covers

The City rate covers employees who perform at least two hours of work in a week within City limits and who are entitled to the minimum wage under California law (City notice). Part-time work counts. So does work by employees whose employer is based somewhere else.

Being labeled a contractor does not settle the question. If you work like an employee but are paid as a contractor, see what to do if you are misclassified as an independent contractor.

Paid Sick Leave in Los Angeles

The City’s Minimum Wage Ordinance also requires paid sick leave for employees who work at least two hours a week in the City (City Minimum Wage Ordinance notice; LAMC 187.04). Under the City notice:

• Employees earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, or an employer can provide at least 48 hours up front.
• An employer may limit use to 48 hours a year.
• Unused leave carries over to the next year, and any cap on it can be no lower than 72 hours.
• LAMC 187.06 protects employees from retaliation for using City sick leave rights.

For how sick leave works under state law, see whether your employer has to offer paid sick leave.

Los Angeles Hotel Worker Minimum Wage

Workers at covered hotels have a separate, higher rate under the Citywide Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance. According to the City’s hotel worker rules:

• A covered hotel has 60 or more guest rooms, or 50 or more in the Airport Hospitality Enhancement Zone near LAX. Gift shops, restaurants, spas and contracted services on hotel premises can be covered too.
• The rate is $25.00 an hour from July 1, 2026, rising to $27.50 on July 1, 2027 and $30.00 on July 1, 2028.
• From July 1, 2026, a hotel that does not provide qualifying health benefits must pay an additional hourly health benefit payment on top of the wage.
• Tips, service charge distributions and bonuses cannot be used to offset the required wage, and service charges must go to the workers who performed the service.

The hotel ordinance also has its own procedure: before a complaint or lawsuit, the employer must receive a written notice and 30 days to cure the violation. Because that step affects timing, consider speaking with an employment attorney before sending it. Our page on hotel and hospitality workers’ rights covers related issues.

Fast Food and Health Care Workers in Los Angeles

Some workers have a higher statewide minimum that is above the City rate. According to the Department of Industrial Relations, covered fast food restaurant employees must be paid at least $20.00 an hour, effective April 1, 2024, and certain health care workers have had a higher minimum wage since October 16, 2024. Our page on fast food workers’ rights in California covers related issues.

Fair Work Week for LA Retail Workers

The City’s Fair Work Week Ordinance applies to retail businesses with 300 or more employees worldwide, for employees who work at least two hours a week in the City (City Fair Work Week notice). Covered employees are entitled to:

• A written schedule at least 14 calendar days before the work period starts.
• Predictability pay for employer-initiated schedule changes made with less than 14 days’ notice, subject to exceptions.
• The right to decline a shift that starts less than 10 hours after the last one ended, or time and a half if they agree to work it.
• An offer of additional hours before the employer hires new workers.

Fair Chance Hiring: Criminal History Questions

Under the City’s Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (LAMC 189.00), employers with 10 or more employees cannot ask about or seek an applicant’s criminal history until after a conditional job offer (City notice to applicants; City FAQ). That includes job postings, applications and interviews. If the employer wants to take back an offer because of a record, it must first complete a written individualized assessment linking the record to the duties of the job, and the applicant gets a chance to respond through the Fair Chance Process.

What If Your Employer Pays Less Than the Minimum Wage?

An employee paid less than the legal minimum can recover “the unpaid balance of the full amount,” plus “interest thereon, reasonable attorney’s fees, and costs of suit,” even if they agreed to work for less (Labor Code section 1194(a)). Short pay often shows up in less obvious ways too, such as off-the-clock work before or after a shift. These cases are part of California wage and overtime claims. In Los Angeles, our Los Angeles wage theft lawyer page explains how unpaid minimum wage claims are handled, and our Los Angeles unpaid overtime lawyer page covers overtime calculated from the wrong rate.

Raising a pay problem is protected. No one may “discharge an employee or in any manner discriminate, retaliate, or take any adverse action” against an employee for asserting wage rights, and action within 90 days of a complaint is presumed retaliatory (Labor Code section 98.6). If you lost your job after complaining, see what decides the value of a wrongful termination claim.

What to Consider If Your Pay Looks Wrong

1. Consider confirming your work address against City and County boundaries before assuming which rate applies.
2. Consider keeping your pay stubs, schedules and your own notes of hours worked.
3. Consider checking whether your pay changed on July 1, when both the City and County rates went up.
4. Consider speaking with an employment attorney before you sign anything about back pay.

How Long Do I Have to Act?

According to the Labor Commissioner, the general limit for a wage claim for unpaid minimum wage is three years. Older pay periods can drop out of reach as time passes, so a review of your pay records sooner rather than later can protect more of your claim. Our article on how long a wage claim takes in California explains the process.

When to Talk to a Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

If your pay is below the rate for where you work, your hotel or retail employer is not following the City’s rules, or you faced consequences after raising a pay problem, consider speaking with an employment attorney. Our Los Angeles employment lawyers represent workers across the City and County.

Our case reviews are free and confidential, and we work on contingency. Request your free case evaluation or contact us to talk through your pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Los Angeles minimum wage go up next?

On July 1, 2027. The City rate adjusts every July 1 based on the Los Angeles-area Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners (LAMC 187.02(d)). The hotel worker rate is already set at $27.50 for July 1, 2027.

Do part-time workers get the LA minimum wage?

Yes, if they work at least two hours in a week within City limits and are otherwise entitled to the minimum wage under California law. There is no full-time requirement.

I live in Los Angeles but work in another city. Which rate applies?

The rate for the place you work. Where you live does not decide your minimum wage. If you work outside the City and outside unincorporated County areas, you get the state minimum or the minimum set by the city where you work.

This article is general information about California law, not legal advice. Every situation is different. For advice about your specific case, talk to a licensed California employment attorney.