Establishment-level evidence on California’s fast-food minimum wage
Establishment-level evidence on California’s fast-food minimum wage
- October 22, 2026
- Economists Vitor Melo, David Neumark (UC Irvine), Liam Sigaud and Gary A. Wagner weigh in via the Centre for Economic Policy Research
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“The standard prediction is that a higher minimum wage reduces employment among low-wage workers. This column examines the effect of a rise in the minimum wage in California for workers at both large and small fast-food chains. Among smaller chains, employment, the number of establishments, and openings fell, while closures rose. The largest chains remained unchanged, indicating that the policy shifted California’s fast-food market towards its largest chains.”
Read in full, courtesy of the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
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