California’s hourly minimum wage will rise to $16.90 from $16.50 starting next year, state officials said Friday in a letter to lawmakers.
The 40-cent increase was calculated, based on inflation, by the California Department of Finance as an annual adjustment required under a 2016 state law.
The change will take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and has not changed since 2009. But California and many other states have set higher rates. California’s is among the highest in the US currently, along with Connecticut, Washington, and Washington, DC, which leads the country with ...