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🇺🇸United States · High income · 2026-Q3

Los Angeles

51composite score · #20 of 50
HIGH · verified 2026-07-27

Prop 22 engaged-time floor (derived)

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What was directly verified: LA Office of Wage Standards confirms current LA city minimum wage is $17.87/hr (effective until July 1, 2026, then rises to $18.42). Prop 22 mechanism (120% of local minimum at pickup location, plus $0.- **what was assumed but not verified**: The arithmetic $17.87 × 1.20 = $21.44 was performed by us, not cited from any source page directly. Considered structurally correct given the verified inputs.

Caveats a journalist should understand

This is the ENGAGED-TIME LEGAL FLOOR — the minimum a CA driver receives for time spent on an active delivery. It is NOT actual hourly earnings.No public body measures California delivery couriers' actual earnings per hour worked — Prop 22 carries no reporting requirement — so the gap between the engaged-time floor and full-shift reality is unquantified. 43/hr with tips, after expenses, well below the engaged-time floor. The floor applies to engaged time only and is paid as a per-pay-period adjustment if individual deliveries fall short. Most drivers spend significant unpaid time waiting for orders, which is excluded from this calculation. The figure should be cited as "the Prop 22 engaged-time floor, not actual earnings."

What would invalidate this

LA city min wage increase July 1, 2026 (will raise floor to $22.10). Court ruling against Prop 22. Change to the 120% multiplier. CA state-level gig worker reform.

Re-verify by

2026-10-27 (and again immediately after July 1, 2026 LA min wage increase)

See full audit on verification page

Earnings (USD per hour)

Net, after tax & expensesn/a
Gross$22.10/hr

Source: LA Office of Wage Standards (Prop 22 1.2× multiplier applied)

What would you take home in Los Angeles?

30hrs

Take-home, weekly

n/a

Take-home, monthly

n/a

Gross, weekly

$663

Gross, monthly

$2,873

Take-home is gross hourly minus an estimated tax/expense rate per country. See the methodology page for the derivation. This widget assumes you actually work the hours you set. For app-based delivery, a portion of logged-in time is unpaid waiting; the headline rate reflects engaged time only where regulators have defined it.

Cost of living vs. earnings

Hours of work for one month's rent (1BR outside centre)338 hours
Rent, 1BR outside centre$2347/mo
Restaurant meal (mid-range)$25.00

Pay vs. local labour market

Minimum wage$18.42/hr
Median wage (all occupations)$30.50/hr

Gross hourly is 56% of local minimum wage, 34% of local median.

Notes

CA Prop 22 baseline applies to app-based food and grocery delivery couriers. Engaged time only.

View Los Angeles on the interactive map

See full source citations for this city on the sources page. Read about how each metric is computed in the methodology.

Primary earnings source: wagesla.lacity.gov/ · archived