Pay transparency laws and nonprofit job postings

Yes, if the job falls under a pay transparency law and your organization meets that law's size threshold. None of the state and local laws checked for this page exempts nonprofit or charitable employers, and Minnesota's, Cleveland's and Columbus's laws name nonprofits as covered. Thresholds run from one employee to 50, and a few laws require a range only when an applicant or employee asks for it.

This page lists each law we checked against its official statute, code or agency page: when it took effect, who it covers, and what a job posting must include. It is a starting point for the person writing the posting. The law that applies to a given job is the one to read before it goes live.

Which states require salary ranges in job postings?

As of the review date above, 14 states and the District of Columbia require pay information, usually a range, in the job posting itself:

• Colorado, California, Washington, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine and Virginia.
• The District of Columbia.

Delaware has enacted a posting law that takes effect September 26, 2027.

Connecticut moved into this group on October 1, 2026. Before that date, Connecticut employers owed a range only on request or before an offer. Since then, internal and public job ads must carry the wage or wage range and a general description of benefits.

Which cities and counties have their own posting rules?

Some local laws apply alongside the state law, and in New York the state law says it does not override local law. Local posting rules we verified:

• New York City, since November 1, 2022.
• Ithaca, New York, since September 1, 2022.
• Westchester County, New York, since November 6, 2022.
• Cleveland, Ohio, since October 27, 2025.
• Columbus, Ohio, which will enforce its posting rule from January 1, 2027.

Westchester County rewrote its human rights law in full in June 2023 (Local Law No. 9-2023), and the current county code carries the posting rule, section 700.03(a)(9), with no sunset provision.

Where a city and its state both have a law, the posting has to meet both.

Which laws require a range only on request?

Nevada and Rhode Island do not require a range in the posting. Nevada requires the employer to give the range to an applicant who has completed an interview, and to an employee seeking a promotion or transfer who asks for it. Rhode Island requires it when an applicant asks, and gives employees the range for their own position at hire, when they change positions, and on request.

Several posting laws also carry an on-request duty. California, for example, requires every employer to provide the pay scale to an applicant on reasonable request, whatever its size.

Are nonprofits exempt from pay transparency laws?

No. None of the laws in the table below carves out nonprofit, charitable or tax-exempt employers. Most define an employer by headcount and by the kinds of entities covered, such as corporations and associations, with no reference to tax status, so a 501(c)(3) is covered on the same terms as a company. Three laws remove any doubt:

• Minnesota defines an employer as one with 30 or more employees in the state and lists "nonprofit organization" among the entities covered.
• Cleveland covers entities "whether or not organized for profit."
• Columbus defines a covered employer the same way, "whether or not organized for profit." Its posting rule is enforced from January 1, 2027.

The exclusions that do appear are about government employers, not charities. For example, the District of Columbia's law excludes the District and federal governments, and Westchester County's law excludes the County itself. Many other laws, including California's, Washington's, New Jersey's and Massachusetts's, expressly cover public employers too.

How do the size thresholds work?

Each law sets its own count, and where the employees must work differs:

• Any size: Colorado (at least one employee in Colorado), Maryland, the District of Columbia (one employee in the District), Connecticut (one or more employees), Virginia, and Westchester County (since June 6, 2023, when the county extended its human rights law to employers of every size). Nevada's and Rhode Island's on-request rules also apply at any size.
• 4 or more employees: New York State, New York City and Ithaca.
• 5 or more: Vermont.
• 10 or more: Maine, and New Jersey (counted over 20 calendar weeks).
• 15 or more: California, Washington, Illinois, Cleveland and Columbus.
• 25 or more in the state: Massachusetts. Delaware's 2027 law covers employers with more than 25.
• 30 or more in the state: Minnesota.
• 50 or more: Hawaii.

Some laws count employees anywhere; others count only employees in the state or city. Check the counting rule before deciding a law does not apply.

What must a job posting include?

Every posting law requires pay information in the posting, usually a minimum and maximum. Several ask for more:

• A general description of benefits and other compensation: Colorado, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland and Connecticut. Colorado also requires the date the application window is expected to close.
• Healthcare benefits: the District of Columbia requires the employer to disclose the existence of healthcare benefits before the first interview.
• The job description, if one exists: New York State.

The range is meant to be real. California defines the pay scale as "a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position upon hire." Minnesota says a salary range "may not be open ended." Setting that range is its own task, covered in how to set a nonprofit salary range.

Do the laws reach remote jobs?

Often, yes. New York State, Illinois and Connecticut reach a job performed outside the state when the employee reports to a supervisor, office or work site in the state. Westchester County's rule covers positions performed in the county "whether from an office, in the field, or remotely from the employee's home." For a remote role, check both where the work will be done and where the person will report.

Which laws take effect next?

• Columbus, Ohio: posting rule enforced from January 1, 2027.
• Delaware: posting law takes effect September 26, 2027.

Washington's 2025 amendment, in effect since July 27, 2025, also gives employers five business days to correct a posting after written notice, for postings made through July 27, 2027.

Pay transparency laws by state and city

Laws checked against each official source as of October 23, 2026.

"No exemption" means the law's definition of employer does not exclude nonprofits, so they are covered on the same terms as other employers. Local laws apply in addition to state law.

Where does the range come from?

A posted range is a number someone has to set before the job goes live, and it has to hold up when a candidate or a regulator reads it. The Workforce tool reports metro-level P25, P50 and P75 pay for 850+ roles, with a nonprofit and private-sector toggle, so the range in a posting starts from market data rather than a guess. How we build the figures explains the sources. See what Professional includes.

Try Professional free for 7 days

Looking for a report rather than one role's figure? Read the 2026 Nonprofit Compensation Report, CauseComp's analysis of IRS Form 990 compensation filings.

Frequently asked questions

This page summarizes state and local laws generally and is not legal advice. Laws and their effective dates change; read the law that applies to each job, and consult counsel on how it applies to your organization.

Sources

• Colorado: CDLE
• Colorado: SB 23-105
• California: Labor Code 432.3
• Washington: RCW 49.58.110
• Hawaii: HRS 378-2.8
• Illinois: 820 ILCS 112
• Minnesota: Minn. Stat. 181.173
• New York State: NYS DOL
• New York State: Labor Law § 194-b
• New Jersey: NJDOL
• New Jersey: P.L. 2024, c.91
• Connecticut: Public Act 26-12
• Connecticut: Public Act 21-30
• Maryland: 3-304.2
• District of Columbia: D.C. Code 32-1453.01
• Vermont: 21 V.S.A. 495p
• Massachusetts: c.149, s.105F
• Maine: 26 M.R.S. 622-A
• Maine: Maine DOL
• Virginia: HB 636, Chapter 1063
• Delaware: 19 Del. C. 709C
• Nevada: NRS 613.133
• Rhode Island: 28-6-22
• New York City: Council text
• New York City: CCHR
• Ithaca, NY: Ordinance 2022-03
• Westchester County, NY: County Human Rights Commission
• Westchester County, NY: Laws of Westchester County ch. 700
• Cleveland, OH: Ch. 669
• Columbus, OH: Ord. 2898-2025