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There is no nationwide federal requirement to put a salary range in every job ad. In the United States, pay-transparency rules vary by state and locality: some require a range in the posting, while others require compensation information at a later hiring stage or upon request. The job’s location, where remote work may be performed, the employer’s size, and the rule’s current wording can all affect coverage.
What do pay transparency laws require?
“Pay transparency” is not one uniform legal duty. Depending on the jurisdiction, a covered employer may have to include compensation information in a job advertisement, provide it during the hiring process, or disclose it when an applicant or employee asks. Some laws also reach promotions or transfers.
A secondary state guide reports that there is no federal salary-range posting requirement and that state and local rules determine when compensation information must be shared. That is a useful starting point, not a substitute for checking the law that applies to a particular job and posting date.
Which U.S. states require a salary range in job postings?
The answer depends on what “require” means. Some jurisdictions require a range in the advertisement; others use a hiring-stage or request-based disclosure rule. WageHour Tools’ guide, which it says was verified against official sources on June 19, 2026, describes Connecticut, Nevada, and Rhode Island as requiring disclosure during hiring or upon request in its snapshot. Connecticut’s rule is noted as changing effective October 1, 2026, so that older description should not be relied on for postings after that date without checking the current Connecticut rule.
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The threshold examples below come from the same dated secondary guide. They illustrate how much coverage can vary; they are not a complete list of jurisdictions or a determination that a particular job is covered.
| Jurisdiction | Employer threshold listed by WageHour Tools |
|---|---|
| California | 15 or more employees |
| Washington | 15 or more employees |
| Colorado | One or more employees |
| New York | Four or more employees |
| Hawaii | 50 or more employees |
| Maryland | All employers |
| Illinois | 15 or more employees |
| Minnesota | 30 or more employees |
| New Jersey | 10 or more employees |
| Vermont | Five or more employees |
| Massachusetts | 25 or more employees |
| Washington, D.C. | Most employers |
These are WageHour Tools’ summary figures, not universal definitions of who counts as an employee or where employees must be located. The applicable law may set additional conditions, and the guide’s effective dates span 2021 through 2025. Confirm the current statute or government guidance before treating a threshold as controlling.
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Do pay transparency laws apply to remote jobs?
They can. A remote role may be covered because work can be performed in a regulated jurisdiction or because the role reports to a location there. A company’s headquarters and the applicant’s home address are not necessarily the only relevant locations. The precise geographic test depends on the jurisdiction and the role.
New York State’s Department of Labor also notes that opportunities in New York City may be covered by the city’s law. That is an example of a local overlay, not a complete list of cities with additional rules. Secondary guides also identify Cincinnati, Toledo, and Jersey City as examples of local ordinances; local coverage should be checked separately from state law.
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What information may a covered job posting need?
A range may not be the only required detail. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and can concern a job description, benefits, other compensation, an application deadline, or whether pay is commission-based. Do not assume that a requirement found in one state applies nationwide.
New York’s state guidance
The New York State Department of Labor says covered employers must provide a job description and compensation range for covered job opportunities, promotions, and transfers, and must clearly identify commission-based positions. Its guidance says a range may consist of the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly compensation the employer believes to be accurate at the time of posting. These are New York-specific requirements and guidance, not a national standard.
Benefits and other compensation
Some reviewed examples include benefits disclosures, but the precise required details depend on the applicable law. Read the relevant state or local rule rather than copying another jurisdiction’s posting format.
How are pay-range disclosure laws different from equal-pay laws?
Disclosure rules concern when and how compensation information must be shared. Equal-pay protections concern whether workers are paid lawfully for their work. The two can be part of the same broader framework, but one does not replace the other.
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California’s Department of Industrial Relations explains that the state Equal Pay Act protects employees from wage rates below those paid to employees of another sex, race, or ethnicity for substantially similar work, subject to statutory defenses. The department also says an employee may request the pay scale for their position, and an applicant may reasonably request the scale for a position they are applying to. Those request rights illustrate a disclosure mechanism alongside the separate equal-pay protection.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How can you check which rule applies to a specific job?
- Identify every relevant location. Consider where the job may be performed, where it reports, and whether a city or county ordinance adds a requirement.
- Check the employer and role coverage. Look at the current rule’s employer-size threshold and any conditions about employees in the jurisdiction. Determine whether it covers external postings, internal promotions, transfers, or the specific role type.
- Confirm when disclosure is due. Establish whether the rule requires a range in the advertisement, disclosure at a later hiring stage, or information on request. Check the effective date, especially for a posting published near a statutory change.
- Read the required-content provisions. Verify whether the posting must include a job description, benefits or other compensation, commission information, or application details in addition to a range.
- Use official materials for the final check. Consult the applicable state agency or statute and any relevant local government source. A secondary chart is an orientation tool, not a complete legal inventory.
How complete are published state-by-state summaries?
Brightmine reported 27 U.S. jurisdictions with enacted pay transparency laws as of October 1, 2026. It describes its resource as abridged and warns that it may not be exhaustive. Its map is attributed to an update dated October 1, 2025; that map date should not be confused with the page’s October 1, 2026 jurisdiction count.
The count describes a secondary legal inventory, not the measured effect of the laws on wages, hiring, or pay gaps. It also does not establish that every locality or newly effective amendment is represented. For a real posting or application, check the controlling official rule for the relevant location and date.
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