U.S. Pay Transparency Laws by State and Locality
- Blog
In an effort to advance pay equity, a growing number of states and localities have enacted pay transparency laws. These laws typically require employers to share the pay range for a position with applicants – either in the job posting or during the interview and hiring process – and in some cases also give current employees the right to learn the pay range for their role.
The charts below provide a snapshot of current enacted and proposed pay transparency laws in U.S. states and localities.
Updated: September 27, 2023
Enacted Laws
The following states and localities have a pay transparency law that has been signed into law.
| Jurisdiction | Covered Employers | Pay Range Required in Job Postings? | Requirements |
| California | Employers with 15 or more employees | Yes | · Include pay range in any job posting and provide to an applicant upon reasonable request · Provide pay range for employee’s current position upon request |
| Colorado | Employers with at least one employee in Colorado | Yes | · Include pay range in any job posting, along with a general description of benefits and other compensation Effective January 1, 2024: · List the date a job application window is expected to close · Inform all employees of internal job opportunities on the same day and prior to making a selection decision · Share information about selected candidates and how employees may express interest in similar roles within 30 days of the new hire’s start date · Share details about regular career progression paths, and associated pay and benefits for each step, with eligible employees |
| Connecticut | All employers in Connecticut with at least one employee | No | · Disclose pay range to an applicant upon request or before making an offer of compensation, whichever is earlier |
| Hawaii (Effective January 1, 2024) | Employers with 50 or more employees | Yes | · Include an hourly rate or salary range that reasonably reflects expected compensation in job listings Note: Internal job postings for promotions or transfers are excluded and need not include a pay range. |
| Illinois (Effective January 1, 2025) | Job posting requirements: Employers with 15 or more employees Other requirements: All employers | Yes | · Include a pay scale and benefits description in any posting for a specific position (employers with 15+ employees only) · Announce, post or otherwise notify current employees of promotion opportunities within 14 days of making an external job posting for the position · Inform applicants of the pay scale and benefits for a position upon request and prior to discussing compensation, if a public or internal posting with the information has not been made available |
| Maryland | All employers in Maryland | No | · Provide job applicants with the pay range for the position for which the individual applied |
| Nevada | All employers in Nevada | No | · Provide job applicants who have completed an interview (including for a promotion or transfer) with pay range for the position |
| New Jersey – Jersey City | Employers with at least five employees within Jersey City | Yes | · Include pay range in any ad for a job, promotion or transfer opportunity |
| New York | Employers with four or more employees | Yes | · Include pay range and job description in any ad for a job, promotion or transfer opportunity performed at least partly in New York or reporting to a New York-based office, supervisor or other work site |
| New York – Albany County | Employers with four or more employees | Yes | · Include pay range in any ad for a job, promotion or transfer opportunity |
| New York – Ithaca | Employers with four or more employees whose standard work locations are in the city of Ithaca | Yes | · Include pay range in any ad for a job, promotion or transfer opportunity |
| New York – New York City | Employers with four or more employees | Yes | · Include pay range in any ad for a job, promotion or transfer opportunity that can or will be performed at least partly in New York City |
| New York – Westchester County | Employers with four or more employees | Yes | · Include pay range in any ad for a job, promotion or transfer opportunity required to be performed at least partly in Westchester County |
| Ohio – Cincinnati | Employers with 15 or more employees | No | · Provide pay range to applicants who have received a conditional job offer upon reasonable request |
| Ohio – Toledo | Employers with 15 or more employees | No | · Provide pay range to applicants who have received a conditional job offer upon reasonable request |
| Rhode Island | All employers in Rhode Island | No | · Provide applicant with pay range for the position to which they have applied, upon request and before discussing compensation · Provide employees with a pay range for the employee’s position at time of hire, upon request and when the employee moves into a new position |
| Washington | Employers with 15 or more employees | Yes | · Include pay range and general description of benefits and other compensation in any job posting · Provide pay range upon request to an employee offered an internal transfer or promotion |
Proposed Laws
Pay transparency legislation has been proposed in the following jurisdictions.
| Jurisdiction | Proposed Pay Transparency Law |
| Connecticut | H.B. 6273 would require all Connecticut employers to include pay and benefits information in job postings, provide applicants with pay and benefits information upon request or before offering or discussing compensation, and annually provide employees with the pay range and a description of benefits for their position. |
| Maine | H.B. 583 would require employers with 10 or more employees to include a pay range in job postings; smaller employers would be required to disclose a pay range to an applicant upon request. All employers would be required to disclose a pay range for a current employee’s position to that employee upon request. |
| Massachusetts | H.B. 4100 would require employers with 25 or more employees in Massachusetts to include a pay range in job postings and disclose the pay range for a specific position upon request to an applicant seeking the position or a current employee holding the position. Employers would also be required to disclose a pay range to an employee offered a promotion or transfer to a new position with different responsibilities. |
| New Jersey | A.B. 3937 would require employers with five or more employees to include pay and benefits information in job postings and make reasonable efforts to inform current employees of promotion opportunities. |
| Pennsylvania | S.B. 601 would require employers with 15 or more employees to provide a pay range to applicants and candidates for internal transfers and promotions. Employers would also be required to provide employees with a the pay range for their role upon hire and annually thereafter. |
| Vermont | H.B. 116 would require employers to disclose the pay scale for a position to applicants and current employees, submit compensation data broken down by gender and race to the state Department of Labor annually, and add race and gender identity as protected characteristics under the state’s wage discrimination law. |
| Virginia | S.B. 1136 would prohibit employers from inquiring into an applicant’s salary history and require employers to provide a pay range to an applicant upon request and prior to discussing compensation. |
| West Virginia | H.B. 2626 would require employers to provide a pay range and description of benefits and other compensation to an applicant upon request and prohibit employers from inquiring into an applicant’s salary history. |
