California Raises Statewide Minimum Wage to $17.40 in 2027, Highest in Nation

3 articles · Updated · KABC-TV · Jul 31

$17.40 an hour will become California's statewide minimum wage on Jan. 1, 2027, topping every other state as many still remain at the federal $7.25 level.
The increase is automatic under state law, which adjusts the wage floor annually for inflation rather than requiring a new legislative vote.
California's statewide minimum already rose to $16.90 in 2026, while the state's fast-food minimum stays higher at $20 an hour under a separate rule that took effect in 2024.
Gov. Gavin Newsom cast the move as a contrast with Republicans' opposition to raising the federal minimum wage, underscoring California's broader worker-pay agenda.

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KABC-TV20d ago

California to Raise Minimum Wage to $17.40 by 2027, Highest in Nation

Newsweek20d ago

Map Shows How California's New Minimum Wage Compares to Each State - Newsweek

New York Post 20d ago

California's minimum wage to increase in 2027, Gavin Newsom announces

12 Sources

As California prepares for a record $17.40 wage in 2027, will overlapping local mandates accidentally force small businesses into bankruptcy?

Could California's complex web of industry-specific wage hikes inadvertently accelerate automation and job losses for the workers they aim to protect?

With exempt salary thresholds automatically rising alongside the new 2027 minimum wage, how will employers absorb these hidden labor costs?