SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
California’s minimum wage is going up in 2026.
Starting Jan. 1, the new minimum wage will be set at $16.90, an increase of 40 cents from 2025.
The hourly rate has been increasing every year since 2023 to adjust for inflation. State law requires the finance department to adjust the minimum wage each year, based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners.
California is one of 22 states, along with Washington, D.C., where the minimum wage will rise in 2026, according to an analysis by Hearst's Get the Facts data team.
Most will see wages rise on Jan. 1. Those 19 states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and the state of Washington.
The minimum wage is set to increase on July 1, 2026, in Washington, D.C., Alaska and Oregon. It will increase in Florida on Sept. 30, 2026.
In 2025, Washington, D.C., had the highest minimum wage at $17.95 an hour, and California ranked fourth after the state of Washington and Connecticut. Officials in D.C. haven't said exactly how much their minimum wage will rise in 2026.
Hawaii will experience the largest minimum wage increase in 2026 with a $2 hike. Minnesota will see the smallest increase, up 28 cents.
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