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Salary history inquiry laws by state

Find state-by-state salary history inquiry restrictions, including rules governing compensation discussions with job applicants.

by the Brightmine Editorial Team

A number of states and municipalities have passed laws restricting an employer’s ability to seek and/or consider a job applicant’s salary history during the recruiting and hiring process.

The following chart features states and key municipalities with salary history inquiry restrictions that apply to private employers. Jurisdictions that have no laws addressing these issues are marked N/A.

For information on pay transparency laws, which require employers to disclose pay ranges for open roles (either in a job posting or by direct communication with a job applicant), refer to Pay Transparency Laws by State and Municipality.

Screenshot of the Brightmine Fifty State Chart on eeo protected classes

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Salary history inquiry laws by state

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Latest updates

Updated to reflect Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, law prohibiting salary history inquiries, effective September 7, 2026.

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The Brightmine Editorial Team

Our in-house team of HR experts carefully monitors and updates the Brightmine HR & Compliance Center, the most comprehensive library of employment law and HR resources. This team has an unrivaled wealth of subject matter expertise, with an average of 15 years’ experience. They also bring invaluable, diverse career experiences to the table—the team includes seasoned employment law attorneys, former in-house counsel, SHRM certified professionals and career employment law editors.

In addition to managing the HR & Compliance Center, the Editorial Team supports the content across the Brightmine product portfolio. The Team also supports Marketing Resource Center with breaking HR news, Commentary and Insights, and expert review of key compliance resources, such as our free charts.

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