U.S. Pay Transparency Laws by State and Locality
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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: May 18, 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 (Effective September 17, 2023) | 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 |
| Colorado | S. B. 105 would strengthen Colorado’s existing pay transparency law by requiring employers to inform current employees of all job opportunities before making a selection decision and provide certain information about how current employees may advance in their careers with the employer. |
| 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. |
| Hawaii | S.B. 1057 would expand the protected characteristics under Hawaii’s equal pay law and require employers with 50 or more employees to include pay information in job postings. |
| Illinois | H.B. 3129 would require employers with 15 or more employees to include pay and benefits information in job postings and inform current employees of opportunities for promotion. |
| Massachusetts | H.B. 1849 would require employers with 15 or more employees in Massachusetts to include a pay range in job postings, provide employees offered a promotion or transfer with the pay range for the new position, and provide all employees and applicants with the pay range for the positions they hold or have applied for upon request. |
| 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. |
