The Pasadena minimum wage is $18.04 per hour, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.1City of Pasadena. Official Notice – Pasadena Minimum Wage Effective July 1 2025 That rate applies to all employers regardless of size, and it sits above both the California state minimum of $16.90 per hour and the federal floor of $7.25 per hour.2Department of Industrial Relations. Minimum Wage When city, state, and federal rates differ, the employer must pay whichever is highest, so $18.04 is the binding number for most Pasadena workers.3Department of Industrial Relations. Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Covered
The ordinance reaches any adult or minor employee who works at least two hours in a given week inside Pasadena city limits.1City of Pasadena. Official Notice – Pasadena Minimum Wage Effective July 1 2025 Where your employer is headquartered doesn’t matter. What matters is where you physically perform the work. That two-hour threshold is low enough to pull in most part-time and gig arrangements.
Tips do not count toward the minimum. Your employer owes the full $18.04 per hour on top of anything you make in tips.1City of Pasadena. Official Notice – Pasadena Minimum Wage Effective July 1 2025
Higher Rates for Fast-Food and Healthcare Workers
Two state laws set higher floors that override Pasadena’s rate for specific workers.
Fast-Food Workers
California requires $20.00 per hour at national fast-food chain restaurants.2Department of Industrial Relations. Minimum Wage A restaurant qualifies if it is a limited-service establishment where customers order and pay before eating, is primarily in the business of selling food and beverages for immediate consumption, and belongs to a chain with at least 60 locations nationwide.4Department of Industrial Relations. Fast Food Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions Off-site offices and warehouses don’t count toward the 60-location count. Independent restaurants and smaller chains still follow the city’s $18.04 rate.
The California Fast Food Council can raise the $20.00 rate annually by up to 3.5% or the increase in the consumer price index, whichever is smaller.
Healthcare Workers
California’s healthcare worker minimum wage pays more than the general rate, with amounts that depend on the type and size of the facility:5Department of Industrial Relations. Health Care Worker Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions
- Large hospitals and health systems with 10,000 or more employees, dialysis clinics, and large-county facilities: $24 per hour through June 30, 2026, rising to $25 on July 1, 2026.
- Community clinics, rural health clinics, and urgent care clinics: $21 per hour through June 30, 2026, rising to $22 on July 1, 2026.
- Most other covered healthcare facilities: $21 per hour through June 30, 2026, rising to $23 on July 1, 2026.
- Safety-net hospitals: $18.63 per hour through June 30, 2026, rising to $19.28 on July 1, 2026.
Pasadena sits in Los Angeles County, which has a population above five million, so county-operated healthcare facilities in the area fall in the large-county tier at $24 per hour (rising to $25).
When the Rate Changes
Pasadena ties its minimum wage to the consumer price index and recalculates once a year, with new rates taking effect each July 1. The next adjustment will be announced for the period beginning July 1, 2026, based on CPI changes measured against the current $18.04 rate. The city posts the updated notice on its minimum wage page each summer.6City of Pasadena. Minimum Wage Information Because the city cycle runs on July 1 and the state cycle runs on January 1, the two rates move on different calendars.
If You’re Being Paid Less Than $18.04
You can file a complaint with the City of Pasadena through its minimum wage complaint form.7City of Pasadena. Minimum Wage Ordinance and Complaint Form The city investigates by reviewing payroll records and can order payment of back wages if a violation is confirmed. The ordinance also protects you from retaliation for asserting your wage rights.
You can also file a wage claim with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Labor Commissioner’s office, which handles minimum wage complaints statewide.3Department of Industrial Relations. Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions Both routes are open to you.
State penalties sit on top of city enforcement. An employer who intentionally pays below any applicable minimum wage owes a $100 civil penalty per underpaid employee per pay period for a first violation, plus full repayment of the unpaid wages and liquidated damages. Repeat violations rise to $250 per employee per pay period.8California Legislative Information. California Labor Code LAB 1197.1
Employer Posting and Records
Employers must post the current minimum wage notice in a visible location at the workplace. The City of Pasadena provides official notice posters in multiple languages on its minimum wage ordinance page.6City of Pasadena. Minimum Wage Information California law requires payroll records showing daily hours worked and wages paid to be kept for at least three years. Because the Pasadena increase lands in July rather than January, employers here need to check wage compliance twice a year: once when the state rate changes in January and again when the city rate changes in July.