California minimum wage: how the state sets your pay floor

The California minimum wage works in layers. State law sets a floor for nearly every worker in the state. Cities and counties can set a higher local floor. A few industries carry their own standard on top of both. The exact dollar figure changes, sometimes on a set schedule and sometimes by new legislation. That means no single number in this article can be treated as current. What does not change is the structure: the state rate is the minimum, a local rate can exceed it, and the highest applicable rate always wins. Workers are owed the highest one that applies to their job. How the California minimum wage is set The state legislature sets California's minimum wage by statute, and the rate can also move under scheduled adjustments written into earlier laws. When the rate changes, the change comes from one of two places: a bill the governor signs, or a schedule the state already adopted in advance.

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