Riverside has not enacted a local minimum wage, so the California statewide rate of 16.50 dollars per hour applies to almost all employees, with separate higher rates for fast-food and healthcare workers.
California Labor Code 1182.12 sets the statewide minimum at 16.50 dollars per hour as of 2026, indexed annually for inflation. Riverside has not exercised its home-rule authority to set a higher local floor. Industry-specific laws raise the floor for fast-food workers under AB 1228 and certain healthcare workers under SB 525. Tipped employees are not exempt from the full minimum wage in California. Many UCR-area employers also follow university-related living-wage standards on campus.
Paying below 16.50 dollars per hour, misclassifying workers as exempt, or violating fast-food or healthcare-specific floors exposes employers to back wages, penalties, and Labor Commissioner enforcement.
See how Riverside's minimum wage preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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