- California Minimum Wage Increases by City
California has consistently paved the way nationwide for consistent minimum wage increases and“` leads the country with 4 of the top 5 minimum wage cities in the US. Emeryville and Mountain View, California top the chart at over $17.00 per hour with the lowest in the US being Alabama at a paltry $7.25.
New increases effective January 1, 2022, in California to the state minimum wage will adjust to $15.00 per hour ($14.00 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees). As a result, the minimum monthly salary for exempt employees statewide increased to $5,200, or $62,400 on an annual basis (equal to two times the state minimum wage for full-time employment).
The highest position based minimum wage increases are for `computer software employees, their minimum hourly rate of pay increased to $50.00 and the minimum monthly salary increased to $8,679.16 ($104,149.81 annually). Licensed physicians and surgeons took top billing as their minimum hourly rate of pay increased to $91.07 .
Some counties and cities have imposed their own higher minimum wage rates, including Los Angeles, where a $15 minimum wage for all employers took effect in July 2021. The following local minimum wages took effect on January 1, 2022, regardless of employer size:
| City | Required Minimum Wage (as of Jan. 1, 2022) |
| Cupertino | $16.40 per hour |
| Menlo Park | $15.75 per hour |
| Mountain View | $17.10 per hour |
| Oakland | $15.06 per hour |
| Palo Alto | $16.45 per hour |
| Redwood City | $16.20 per hour |
| San Jose | $16.20 per hour |
| San Mateo | $16.20 per hour |
Employers should review the compensation paid to exempt and non-exempt employees and confirm all employees still meet the requirements for their status. Employers also should make sure that minimum wage postings are updated appropriately to reflect state and local increases.
2. Minimum Wage Thresholds by State
| State | 2020 Minimum Wage | 2021 Minimum Wage | 2022 Minimum Wage |
| A | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 |
| Alaska | $10.19 | $10.34 | $10.34 |
| Arizona | $12.00 | $12.15 | $12.80 |
| Arkansas | $10.00 | $11.00 | $11.00 |
| California | $13.00 | $14.00* | $15.00* |
| Colorado | $12.00 | $12.32 | $12.56 |
| Connecticut | $12.00 | $13.00 | $14.00 (effective 7/1/2022) |
| Delaware | $9.25 | $9.25 | $10.50 |
| Washington D.C. | $15.00 | $15.20 | $15.20 |
| Florida | $8.56 | $10.00 | $11.00 (effective 9/30/2022) |
| Georgia | $5.15 (Employers subject to Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the $7.25 Federal minimum wage.) | $5.15 (Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the $7.25 Federal minimum wage) | $5.15 (Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the $7.25 Federal minimum wage) |
| Hawaii | $10.10 | $10.10 | $10.10 |
| Idaho | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Illinois | $10.00 | $11.00 | $12.00 |
| Indiana | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Iowa | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Kansas | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Kentucky | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Louisiana | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) |
| Maine | $12.00 | $12.15 | $12.75 |
| Maryland | $11.00 | $11.75** | $12.50** |
| Massachusetts | $12.75 | $13.50 | $14.25 |
| Michigan | $9.65 | $9.65 | $9.87 |
| Minnesota | $10.00 | $10.08*** | $10.33*** |
| Mississippi | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) |
| Missouri | $9.45 | $10.30 | $11.15 |
| Montana | $8.65 | $8.75 | $9.20 |
| Nebraska | $9.00 | $9.00 | $9.00 |
| Nevada | $8.00 | $8.75 | $9.50**** (effective 7/1/2022) |
| New Hampshire | $7.25) | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| New Jersey | $11.00 | $12.00***** | $13.00***** |
| New Mexico | $9.00 | $10.50 | $11.50 |
| New York | $11.80 | $12.50****** | $13.20****** (effective 12/31/21) |
| North Carolina | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| North Dakota | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Ohio | $8.70 | $8.80 | $9.30 |
| Oklahoma | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Oregon | $12.00 | $12.75 | $13.50******* (effective 7/1/22) |
| Pennsylvania | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Rhode Island | $10.50 | $11.50 | $12.25 |
| South Carolina | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 |
| South Dakota | $9.30 | $9.45 | $9.95 |
| Tennessee | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 (Federal, no state minimum) | $7.25 |
| Texas | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Utah | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Vermont | $10.96 | $11.75 | $12.55 |
| Virginia | $7.25 | $9.50 | $11.00 |
| Washington | $13.50 | $13.69 | $14.49 |
| West Virginia | $8.75 | $8.75 | $8.75 |
| Wisconsin | $7.25 | $7.25 | $7.25 |
| Wyoming | $5.15 (Employers subject to Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the Federal minimum wage.) | $5.15 (Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the $7.25 Federal minimum wage) | $5.15 (Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the $7.25 Federal minimum wage) |
All content provided is for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed nor is intended to be legal advice. For more information please visit: www.californiaemployeeadvocates.com.
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