Minimum Wage In California 2026. If approved, california would have the highest minimum wage of any state in the country, and nearly three times as high as the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. For employers with 25 or less workers, the minimum wage would increase to $17 per hour on january 1, 2025, and $18 on january 1, 2026.
Under the proposed ballot initiative, the minimum wage would continue to rise in california past 2023 into 2026, ending at $18 an hour for all businesses. California’s ballot measure, proposition 32, would raise the state’s current minimum wage of $16 to $17 for the remainder of 2024 for employers with at least 26 employees, increasing to $18.