California health care minimum wage
Covered health care workers have a higher minimum wage set by state law (SB 525). The rate depends on the type of facility, not the job title, and covers support staff such as janitors, food service, and clerical workers as well as caregivers.
Large health systems, dialysis clinics, and large-county facilities
$25.00 per hour
Not yet checked against the primary source
Facilities with 10,000 or more full-time equivalent employees or part of a system that size, dialysis clinics, and facilities run by counties of more than 5 million people.
Safety-net and rural hospitals, and small-county facilities
$19.28 per hour
Not yet checked against the primary source
Hospitals with a high or elevated governmental payor mix, rural independent facilities, and facilities run by counties of fewer than 250,000 people. Rises each July 1 on a fixed schedule to $25 in 2033.
Scheduled: $19.95 from July 1, 2027; $20.65 from July 1, 2028; $21.37 from July 1, 2029; $22.12 from July 1, 2030; $22.89 from July 1, 2031; $23.69 from July 1, 2032; $25.00 from July 1, 2033.
Community and rural clinics
$22.00 per hour
Not yet checked against the primary source
Community clinics, intermittent clinics, rural health clinics, and urgent care clinics owned by or affiliated with them. Some clinics have a state waiver postponing the increase.
Scheduled: $25.00 from July 1, 2027.
All other covered facilities
$23.00 per hour
Not yet checked against the primary source
Every other covered health care facility, including facilities run by counties of 250,000 to 5 million people.
Scheduled: $25.00 from July 1, 2028.
Exempt health care employees
To be exempt from overtime, a covered health care employee must earn the greater of 1.5 times the applicable health care minimum wage or twice the statewide minimum wage for full-time work.
Facilities run by the state, the CSU system, or community colleges aren't covered. If a city's general minimum wage is higher, the city rate applies. The state's facility lists and waiver rules decide which tier applies to a given employer.