As of January 2026, 16 states and Washington DC have enacted statewide wage transparency laws requiring employers to disclose salary information at various points in the employment process. The compliance landscape is expanding rapidly, with at least a dozen additional states, multiple cities, and certain counties expected to require public or applicant-specific disclosure of pay ranges by 2027.
California’s SB 642 took effect January 1, 2026, clarifying pay scale definitions and extending the recovery period for non-compliant postings. Rhode Island’s written pay notice requirement also became effective January 1, 2026. Delaware enacted a pay transparency law in September 2025 requiring employers with 26 or more employees to include a good-faith pay range in job postings, with enforcement beginning September 26, 2027.
States currently requiring salary range disclosure in job postings include California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Washington. Employer size thresholds vary from all employers in Connecticut, Nevada, and Rhode Island to those with 50 or more employees in Hawaii.
For multi-state employers, the compliance challenge compounds: if a remote role could be filled by someone in a state with transparency requirements, or if the position reports to a supervisor in that state, disclosure rules may apply regardless of company headquarters location. Penalties range from modest fines to substantial penalties and private class action lawsuits depending on jurisdiction.
States including Alaska, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, and Montana have introduced bills or draft legislation that may add to the national transparency landscape in 2026 or 2027.
