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

The Los Angeles minimum wage is $18.42 an hour as of July 1, 2026, for covered employees working 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.

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 beginning July 1, 2026. The ordinance generally covers hotels with 60 or more rooms, with special rules for certain airport-area hotels (City hotel worker rules, Reg. 7).
• Employees cannot waive their right to the legal minimum wage by agreeing to work for less. Workers paid below the applicable minimum wage may recover unpaid wages, interest, reasonable attorney’s fees, and costs through a civil action (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

Different minimum wage rates apply throughout the Los Angeles area. The applicable rate generally depends on where the employee performs the work, and certain industries have higher minimum wage requirements.

The unincorporated County rate is now 5 cents higher than the City rate. Both follow the same July 1 schedule, but they apply to different geographic areas. Employees performing similar work in different locations may therefore be entitled to different minimum wages.

The statewide rate changes on a different schedule. According to the Department of Industrial Relations, California’s minimum wage rises to $17.40 an hour on January 1, 2027. That is still below both the City and unincorporated County rates. Our article on the minimum wage in California for 2027 explains the statewide change, including the new salary line for exempt employees.

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. Covered employees who work at least two hours in a particular week in an unincorporated area generally must receive the County minimum wage for hours worked there, subject to applicable exemptions.
4. If it is in another city, check its minimum wage. Some cities in the County, such as West Hollywood, have their own minimum wage ordinance. Otherwise, the state minimum usually 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 specified languages, along with any additional language spoken by at least 5% of employees at the workplace (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.

Danielle Langella, an associate attorney at Abramson Labor Group, explains: “One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that workers assume their minimum wage is based on where they live or where their employer is headquartered. In reality, it’s generally based on where they physically perform their work. Just because your address says Los Angeles doesn’t necessarily mean you’re working within City of Los Angeles limits. You could be working in unincorporated LA County or another city entirely, where a different minimum wage applies. That distinction can make a real difference in what you’re legally entitled to earn.”

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 employees are covered, and an employer does not need to be headquartered in Los Angeles for the City’s minimum wage to apply.

Being classified as an independent contractor does not automatically mean a worker is exempt from minimum wage protections. If you believe you are being treated as an independent contractor when you should be classified as an employee, see our guide on 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.
• Employees may generally begin using accrued paid sick leave on their 90th day of employment.
• 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 employees are entitled to a higher industry-specific minimum wage than the general City of Los Angeles 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. Certain health care workers are also covered by higher minimum wage requirements that began taking effect on October 16, 2024. The applicable rate depends on factors such as the type of health care facility, the employer, and the statutory implementation schedule. Our page on fast food workers’ rights in California covers related issues.

Fair Work Week for LA Retail Workers

The City of Los Angeles Fair Work Week Ordinance generally applies to retail employers with 300 or more employees worldwide and covers employees who work at least two hours in a particular week within City limits (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?

Employees who are paid less than the applicable minimum wage may recover unpaid minimum wages, interest, reasonable attorney’s fees, and litigation costs under Labor Code section 1194(a). Minimum wage violations are not always obvious. They may also arise when employers require employees to perform work off-the-clock before or after scheduled shifts without compensation. 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.

Asked which underpayment patterns she sees most in Los Angeles, Danielle Langella pointed to “employees performing work before clocking in or after clocking out without being paid for that time. This is especially common in restaurants, retail, and hospitality, where employees may be expected to prepare for their shifts, open or close the business, clean up, or complete other tasks off the clock. If you’re performing work for your employer, you generally must be compensated for that time.”

Employees are also protected against retaliation for asserting their wage rights. Under Labor Code section 98.6, employers generally cannot discharge, discriminate against, or retaliate against employees for engaging in protected wage-related activity. The law also establishes a rebuttable presumption of retaliation when an employer takes adverse action within 90 days of certain protected conduct. 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. Confirm where you worked. Check your work address against City and County boundaries before assuming which rate applies.
2. Keep records of your pay stubs, schedules and your own notes of hours worked.
3. Check the July 1, 2026 increase. Review whether your hourly rate changed when the City and unincorporated County minimum wages increased.
4. Consider speaking with an employment attorney before signing a settlement, release, or other agreement concerning unpaid wages.

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.

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 scheduled to rise to $27.50 on July 1, 2027, and $30.00 on July 1, 2028, with annual adjustments after that (City hotel worker notice).

Will the January 2027 state increase change my pay in Los Angeles?

Not if you work in the City or in unincorporated LA County. The state rate rises to $17.40 on January 1, 2027, according to the Department of Industrial Relations, which is still below the City’s $18.42 and the County’s $18.47. If you work in an area of the County with no local minimum wage, the new $17.40 state rate applies.

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.

Can my employer count my tips toward the LA minimum wage?

No. Under Labor Code section 351, an employer cannot require you to credit tips against your wages. Tipped workers in Los Angeles must receive the full hourly minimum before tips.

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

The applicable minimum wage generally depends on where you physically perform your 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.

Does the higher LA minimum wage raise the salary needed to be exempt?

No. The exempt salary test is tied to the state rate: “no less than two (2) times the state minimum wage for full-time employment” (Wage Order 4). In 2026, that is at least $70,304 a year, according to the Department of Industrial Relations. Salary alone does not decide exemption; the job duties must also qualify.

Is a missed meal break premium paid at the LA rate?

It is paid at your regular rate, which cannot be below the minimum wage where you work. The premium is “one additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular rate” for each workday a meal period is missed (Labor Commissioner meal period FAQ). Under Ferra v. Loews Hollywood Hotel (2021), the regular rate “encompasses all nondiscretionary payments, not just hourly wages.”

Do I get the minimum wage for time spent waiting at work?

Usually, yes. According to the Labor Commissioner, on-call time at the work site counts as hours worked “even if the employee does nothing but wait.” Those hours must be paid at no less than the minimum wage that applies where you work.

When to Talk to an Employment Lawyer About Unpaid Minimum Wage in Los Angeles

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, contact us, or call us at (213) 493-6300 to talk through your pay.

Last updated: October 26, 2026

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.