Los Angeles County Minimum Wage 2026: $18.47 (Unincorporated)

The minimum wage in unincorporated Los Angeles County is $18.47 an hour, effective July 1, 2026. It applies to work done in the parts of the county that are not inside any city, such as East Los Angeles, Altadena, Marina del Rey, Florence-Firestone, Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights. It is $1.57 above California’s 2026 minimum of $16.90.

Many workers do not realize they are in an unincorporated area, and some employers forget the annual July increase. A worker still being paid last year’s $17.81 loses $0.66 an hour, which is $26.40 a week at 40 hours. The County also has a Fair Workweek law for large retailers and new protections for hotel workers, enforced by the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA).

This guide explains each County rule, where state law fills the gaps, and how to file a complaint. To compare rates across cities, see our California minimum wage by city table.

LA County minimum wage 2026 (unincorporated areas)

The County’s Minimum Wage Ordinance (Los Angeles County Code Chapter 8.100) raises the rate every July 1. For July 1, 2026, the County’s Chief Executive Office set an increase from $17.81 to $18.47, a 3.7 percent increase based on the November 2025 Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners in the Los Angeles area.

Effective date	Unincorporated LA County	California
July 1, 2024	$17.27	$16.00
July 1, 2025	$17.81	$16.50
July 1, 2026	$18.47	$16.90
January 1, 2027	$18.47 (unchanged)	$17.40

Since 2021, employers of every size have paid the same County rate.

Who is covered. According to DCBA, if you work at least two hours in one week in an unincorporated area of the county, you are entitled to the County minimum wage for all hours worked in the unincorporated area. Where you live, your employment status and where your employer is headquartered do not change the rate. DCBA says the minimum wage applies “with few exceptions.”

Is your job in an unincorporated area? A “Los Angeles” or “Whittier” mailing address does not tell you. DCBA recommends entering the work address on the County Registrar-Recorder’s website, or calling DCBA at (800) 593-8222. If your workplace is inside a city, that city’s rate or the state rate applies instead. The City of Los Angeles, for example, is $18.42, and we cover it in our Los Angeles minimum wage guide.

Next increase. The next County increase takes effect July 1, 2027. The amount has not been announced; it will again follow the Los Angeles-area Consumer Price Index. California’s minimum rises to $17.40 on January 1, 2027, still below the County rate.

By the numbers$18.47

Sector wages that can be higher

The County does not set separate hotel or airport minimum wages for unincorporated areas, but two state laws can put you above $18.47:

• Fast food: $20.00 an hour for fast food restaurants in national chains with more than 60 establishments nationwide (AB 1228).
• Health care: California’s health care minimum wage (SB 525) covers many hospital and clinic workers, including at facilities owned or operated by large counties.

When more than one minimum applies, you are owed the highest.

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Paid sick leave in unincorporated LA County

Unincorporated Los Angeles County does not have its own paid sick leave ordinance; DCBA’s worker protection pages list none. California’s paid sick leave law (Labor Code 246) applies:

• At least 40 hours or five days of paid sick leave a year, whichever is more.
• Accrual of at least one hour for every 30 hours worked, or a front-loaded amount.
• Employers may cap accrued leave, but not below 80 hours or 10 days.
• Leave can be used for your own or a family member’s illness, preventive care, and certain safe-time reasons.

Our California paid sick leave guide covers the rules in detail. Note that the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and West Hollywood have their own, more generous leave rules.

Fair Workweek for retail workers (since July 1, 2025)

The Board of Supervisors adopted the Fair Workweek Ordinance (County Code Chapter 8.102) on April 23, 2024, and it took effect July 1, 2025. It covers retail businesses with 300 or more employees worldwide, and retail employees who are eligible for minimum wage and work at least two hours a week in unincorporated areas. The County’s required poster lists these rights:

• 14 days’ advance notice of your work schedule, also posted at the workplace.
• Right to request preferred hours, times or locations (a denial must be in writing), and right to decline schedule changes the employer makes.
• Predictability pay: one extra hour of pay for changing the date, time or location of a shift without cutting hours, or for adding more than 15 minutes; half your regular rate for scheduled time cut by more than 15 minutes, or for an on-call shift when you are not called in.
• Rest between shifts: no shifts starting less than 10 hours apart unless you consent, and then time and a half for each hour of the second shift.
• Shift priority: extra hours must be offered to current employees before new workers are hired.
• No coverage duty: you do not have to find a replacement when you miss a shift for a legally protected reason.

Retaliation for using these rights is prohibited. DCBA can investigate Fair Workweek violations; questions go to fww@dcba.lacounty.gov.

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Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance

On October 7, 2025, the Board adopted a Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance (County Code Chapter 8.21) for hotels in unincorporated areas:

• Panic buttons (since April 1, 2026): hotels must give workers a personal safety device connected to a security officer, manager or supervisor, plus paid time to report violent or threatening conduct to law enforcement. A hotel cannot discourage reporting or punish a worker who chooses not to report.
• Workload limits (since April 1, 2026): at hotels with 40 or more guest rooms, a worker cannot be required to clean more than 3,500 square feet in an eight-hour day (4,500 square feet at hotels with fewer than 40 rooms) unless paid double their regular rate for every hour worked that day. If a worker is assigned seven or more checkout rooms, each counts as 500 square feet.
• Training (since October 1, 2026): hotel employers must provide at least six hours of public housekeeping training on workers’ rights.

A hotel facing bankruptcy or shutdown can apply to DCBA for a waiver, but it must notify its workers in writing first. If you were laid off from a hotel or a janitorial, maintenance or security job, ask DCBA whether County recall or retention rules apply to you, and check our Los Angeles County layoffs tracker for WARN notices.

By the numbers14 days

How to file a complaint with DCBA

The DCBA Office of Labor Equity enforces the County minimum wage, Fair Workweek and Hotel Worker Protection ordinances, along with the County’s Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and its health and safety anti-retaliation rules. Its services are free, and it does not ask about or report immigration status.

• Online: the “Submit a Wage Complaint” link on dcba.lacounty.gov
• Phone: (800) 593-8222, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Email: wagehelp@dcba.lacounty.gov

DCBA can investigate your employer and help you recover wages owed. It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against you for asking to be paid the correct minimum wage, reporting a violation, or telling coworkers about their rights; DCBA lists firing, cutting hours and threatening to call immigration authorities as examples of retaliation.

For overtime, meal and rest breaks, final pay and other state claims, you can file with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE). Unpaid wage claims generally must be brought within three years (Code of Civil Procedure 338). Discrimination and harassment claims go to the California Civil Rights Department, generally within three years. Compare a Labor Commissioner claim vs. hiring a lawyer, or estimate what you are owed with the wage and hour calculator.

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Example: a missed July raise

💡 Example (hypothetical): Luis works 25 hours a week at a store in East Los Angeles. On July 1, 2026, his employer kept paying him $17.81 instead of the new $18.47 County rate. He is short $0.66 an hour, or $16.50 a week (25 × $0.66). After 16 weeks, he is owed $264.00 (16 × $16.50) in unpaid wages, before penalties or interest.

Small shortfalls like this often show up alongside other wage and hour violations, such as unpaid overtime or missed breaks.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Los Angeles County minimum wage in 2026?

$18.47 an hour from July 1, 2026, for work in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Cities in the county set their own rates or follow the state rate.

Does the County minimum wage apply in cities like Long Beach or Pasadena?

No. The County ordinance covers only unincorporated areas. Long Beach follows the state rate for most workers, while Pasadena, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Malibu and the City of Los Angeles have their own minimum wages.

When does the LA County minimum wage go up next?

On July 1, 2027. The new rate has not been announced yet and will be based on the Los Angeles-area Consumer Price Index.

Does LA County require paid sick leave?

Unincorporated areas follow California’s paid sick leave law: at least 40 hours or five days a year.

Will DCBA ask about my immigration status?

No. DCBA states that it does not ask or report immigration status, and its services are free.

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