Spring 2026 Minimum Wages & Compliance Changes

Below is a summary of wage increases and compliance requirements that took effect recently or will take effect soon.

Compliance updates

State and local updates

Alaska
California
Connecticut

Illinois
Indiana
Maine

New York
Virginia
Washington

Minimum hourly wage increases

The minimum wages and effective dates below are not exhaustive. There may be additional state and local jurisdictions that have scheduled increases or additional employees (EEs) that are impacted.

Check the government sites that apply to your jurisdiction over the upcoming months to help ensure compliance with changing minimum wage rates and their effective dates.

State and district minimum hourly wage increases
JULY 1, 2026
ALASKA	$14.00
CALIFORNIA	Hospital or integrated health system with 10,000 or more full-time employees (including skilled nursing facilities operated by these employers): $25 Dialysis clinics: $25 Covered healthcare facilities run by large counties: $25 Safety net hospitals: $19.28 Covered small-county-run healthcare facilities: $19.28 Covered medium-sized county-run healthcare facilities: $23 Intermittent clinics, community clinics, rural health clinics, or urgent care clinics associated with community or rural health clinics: $22 All other covered health care facilities not listed in the other categories and not run by counties: $23
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA	$18.40
OREGON	$14.55 (non-urban counties) $15.55 (other counties except Metro Portland) $16.80 (Metro Portland)
Local hourly wage increases
MARCH 1, 2026
CITY OF SANTA FE, NM	$15.40
COUNTY of SANTA FE, NM (unincorporated areas only)	$15.40
JULY 1, 2026
ALAMEDA CITY, CA	TBD
BERKELEY, CA	$19.61
EMERYVILLE, CA	$20.34
FREMONT, CA	$18.05
GLENDALE, CA (Hotel workers)	$25.00
LONG BEACH, CA (Hotel workers)	TBD
LONG BEACH, CA (Concessionaire workers)	TBD
LOS ANGELES (CITY), CA	$18.42
LOS ANGELES (CITY), CA (Hotel workers and airport workers)	$25.00
LOS ANGELES, CA (UNINCORPORATED COUNTY)	$18.47
MALIBU, CA	$17.91
MILPITAS, CA	TBD
PASADENA, CA	TBD
SAN DIEGO, CA (Hotels and amusement parks)	$19.00
SAN DIEGO, CA (Event centers)	$21.06
SAN FRANCISCO, CA	$19.61
SANTA MONICA, CA	TBD
SANTA MONICA, CA (Hotel employees)	$25.00
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hotel employees)	$20.87
CHICAGO, IL (Four or more EEs)	TBD
COOK COUNTY, IL	TBD
HOWARD COUNTY, MD (14 or fewer employees)	$16.00
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD (51 or more EEs)	$18.00
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD (11 to 50 EEs)	$16.50
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD (10 or fewer EEs)	$15.95
ST. PAUL, MN (Six to 100 EEs)	$16.37
ST. PAUL, MN (Five or fewer EEs)	$14.25
EVERETT, WA (15 to 500 EEs worldwide or fewer than 15 EEs with more than $2 million in gross revenue)	$19.77
RENTON, WA 15 or more EEs (regardless of where those employees are employed), or has an annual gross revenue of over $2 million.	$21.57

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Compliance updates

The compliance updates and their effective dates below are not exhaustive. There may be other state and local jurisdictions that have additional laws and regulations. Check government sites relevant to your jurisdiction over the coming months to help ensure compliance with changing laws.

		State and local updates
		ALASKA	JULY 1, 2026 Alaska increases the minimum salary required for overtime exemptions. As a result of the state’s updated minimum wage, the minimum salary required for the administrative, professional, and executive exemptions from overtime under Alaska law increases to $1,120 per week.
		CALIFORNIA	FEBRUARY 1, 2026 California requires new annual notice. California employers must provide a new stand-alone written notice annually to each employee and to each new employee at the time of hire, informing them of their rights under state and federal law. MARCH 30, 2026 California employers must offer the opportunity to name an emergency contact. Employers had until March 30, 2026 to provide existing employees with the opportunity to name an emergency contact for situations in which they are arrested or detained at or during work. For those hired after March 30, 2026, employers must provide the opportunity on their date of hire.
		CONNECTICUT	FEBRUARY 10, 2026 Connecticut Supreme Court rules employer-required security screenings must be paid. The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that state law offers greater protection than federal law by requiring employers to compensate employees in the state for mandatory security screenings at their place of employment.
		ILLINOIS	JUNE 1, 2026 Illinois to require certain employers to provide NICU leave. Illinois will require covered employers to provide unpaid leave to employees when their child is a patient in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
		INDIANA	JULY 1, 2026 Indiana amends its Employment-Eligibility-Verification Law. Indiana will expressly prohibit employers from knowingly or intentionally recruiting, hiring, or continuing to employ an individual who is unauthorized to work and establish certain protections for employers that engage in “reasonable diligence” to verify new hires are authorized to work. Indiana to repeal registration requirement for employing minors. Illinois will repeal a law requiring employers to register with the Indiana Department of Labor when they employ five or more minors.
		MAINE	MAY 1, 2026 Maine employees may begin using the Paid Family and Medical Leave Program. Maine employers must begin providing leave for the covered reasons on May 1, 2026. 90 DAYS AFTER LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS Maine adds requirements for violators of its employment laws. Maine will require employers to notify employees if they are found in violation of Title 26, Chapter 7 of the Maine Revised Statutes, which contains provisions relating to pay, hours, recordkeeping, workplace postings, access to personnel files, leave, breaks and other areas of employment law.
		NEW YORK	APRIL 18, 2026 New York bans using credit history in employment decisions. Employers cannot request or use an applicant's consumer credit history for employment purposes, or to discriminate against an applicant or employee in hiring, compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment.
		VIRGINIA	JULY 1, 2026 Virginia restricts firearm storage in employer lots. Virginia has enacted legislation that will require secure vehicular storage of handguns in certain employment areas.
		WASHINGTON	JUNE 11, 2026 Washington prohibits mandatory employee microchipping. Washington state will prohibit an employer from requiring an employee or applicant to be microchipped. JULY 1, 2026 WA Cares set to begin. Washington's long-term care benefits program is set to begin on July 1, 2026.