West Hollywood now has the highest minimum wage in the nation after the base pay increased to $19.08 an hour on Saturday.
Workers in the celebrity-studded city welcomed the increase in pay as the cost of living continues to increase across the county, especially in California, thanks to inflation.
A March study from Smart Asset indicated that single-person homes in Los Angeles, Berkeley and San Diego would need to make over $76,000 after taxes to “live comfortably.”
In San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, residents would need to make over $84,000 after taxes to “live comfortably” in the area.
While West Hollywood has the country’s highest minimum wage rate, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., workers also got a pay increase.
In San Francisco, the minimum wage increased to $18.07 an hour. Los Angeles now has a $16.68 minimum hourly rate and minimum wage workers in Washington, D.C., now make $17 an hour, the Associated Press reported.
Seattle had the highest minimum wage of any U.S. city in January when its hourly rate increased to $18.69.
West Hollywood’s minimum wage is expected to increase again on July 1, 2024. The updated hourly total will be posted on the city’s website.