Illinois has not enacted a healthcare worker minimum wage equivalent to California SB 525. Cook County has no industry-specific healthcare wage ordinance. Healthcare workers default to Illinois state minimum wage and Cook County Ordinance 16-O-34 in non-opt-out suburbs.
California SB 525 phases healthcare worker minimums up to $25 per hour by 2028 across covered hospitals, clinics, and dialysis centers. Illinois has no parallel statute and Cook County has not adopted one. The Illinois Hospital Licensing Act 210 ILCS 85 regulates staffing standards but not wages. Cook County Ord. 16-O-34 minimum wage applies to healthcare employers in non-opt-out suburbs at $15.40 per hour for 2025. Cook County Health (the public hospital system including Stroger and Provident) has separate union contracts setting higher floors. SEIU Healthcare Illinois has campaigned for state legislation but no bill has passed as of 2026.
No healthcare-specific wage violations exist. Standard Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act and Cook County minimum-wage violations apply. Penalties run from back wages plus 5 percent monthly interest to $1,000-per-violation fines for willful underpayment.
See how Evanston's healthcare worker wage rules stack up against other locations.
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