What Is Minimum Wage In California 2026. The minimum wage would be about $17 in 2026. A ballot measure to increase the state minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026 and adjust it annually by inflation.

California’s minimum wage would rise to $18 by 2026 — the highest in the nation — and then go up with inflation if proposition 32 passes. Proposition 32 would increase the state minimum wage to $17 in 2024 and $18 in 2025, with annual inflation adjustments after that.