The Labor Center conducts a wide range of research on low-wage work in California and nationally. Our research focuses on documenting and understanding working conditions in low-wage industries, especially for women, immigrants, and workers of color. We also analyze policies to raise labor standards at the local, state, and national levels.
For an in-depth description of California’s low-wage workforce, see our Data Explorer.
View our Inventory of US City and County Minimum Wage Ordinances and our new Inventory of Sectoral Wage Ordinances.
New! Know Your Rights at Work: Information for New Workers in California. This handout is given to all CA high school students applying for work permits explaining their rights on the job, as mandated by AB 800. Useful for all new workers — and long-time workers, too.
You can also visit our Black Worker project.
Labor Standards
Minimum wage, living wage, and other labor standards studies.
Public Cost of Low-Wage Work
Research on the societal and fiscal costs of low-wage work.
Industry Research
In-depth studies of labor markets and working conditions in low-wage industries.
Independent Contracting & Gig Work
Independent contracting, gig work, and employee misclassification
The interactive data explorer provides comprehensive data on the state’s low-wage workforce, including demographics, job characteristics, industries, occupations, use of public assistance programs, and geography. It also provides users with graphics, tables, research summaries, interactive visualizations, and downloadable data.
Across the country, cities and counties have become laboratories of policy innovation on labor standards. Before 2012, only five localities had minimum wage laws; currently, 66 counties and cities do. To help inform policymakers and other stakeholders, the UC Berkeley Labor Center is maintaining an up-to-date inventory of these laws, with details on wage levels, scheduled increases, and other law details, as well as links to the ordinances.
This report examines the security guard workforce across the country—who these workers are, what they earn, the conditions under which they work, and the standards that govern the industry—and argues that improving job quality in security is a matter both of economic justice and of public safety.
Archive tables of California city and county minimum wage rates.
This factsheet highlights the characteristics of the private sector security guard workforce in California, the Los Angeles MSA, and the five-county Bay Area, and highlights the need to improve labor conditions in the industry.
August 25, 2025
State of the Unions: California Labor in 2024
August 29, 2025
Unions Are Shrinking Nationwide — But Not in California
August 25, 2025
California unions held their ground last year but face big tests in 2025
August 30, 2025
‘Moment of crisis’: Unions in somber mood this Labor Day
May 20, 2024
Gig Passenger and Delivery Driver Pay in Five Metro Areas
July 23, 2026
Inventory of US City and County Minimum Wage Ordinances
August 3, 2026
Union Density and Membership in California
June 27, 2024
Sectoral Wage Ordinances
August 29, 2023
California Union Membership and Coverage: 2023 Chartbook
March 1, 2023
Living Wage and Self-Sufficiency Tools and Data
“It’s important for workers to have a stronger voice, because they are the front line,” said Enrique Lopezlira, who directs the low-wage work program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “The more confidence they have in their ability to speak up without fear of losing their job or hours, then the safety and security of the Oakland airport improves. And that’s a benefit for everybody.”
The UC Berkeley Labor Center, which has extensively researched this topic, puts the current number of low-wage workers in the state at 5.7 million — nearly 35% of all of California’s workers.
Supporters of the tax cite research from the UC Berkeley Labor Center, which reported in 2019 that every dollar spent in early care and education generates as much as $1.88 in increased economic activity.
According to research from UC Berkeley cited by the union, more than two thirds of Bay Area security guards qualify as low wage workers, earning a median of around $20 an hour, less than half what a typical worker in the region makes.
Median pay for security workers in California remains around $20 per hour, according to an analysis by the UC Berkeley Labor Center. While median pay for security officers is higher in the Bay Area—closer to $24 per hour—that’s still significantly lower than the median wage for all workers in the region, which crosses $42 per hour.
Enrique Lopezlira
Director, Low-Wage Work Program
Ken Jacobs
Senior Policy Advisor
Ellen Love
Policy and Project Analyst
