RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Who Paid Los Angeles’ Minimum Wage? JF Journal of Human Resources JO J Hum Resour FD University of Wisconsin Press SP 0223-12761R2 DO 10.3368/jhr.0223-12761R2 A1 Esposito, Christopher A1 Leamer, Edward A1 Nickelsburg, Jerry YR 2024 UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2024/05/01/jhr.0223-12761R2.abstract AB We analyze how the incidence of minimum wage increases falls on customers by studying two minimum wages in Los Angeles County that remained unequal for over five years. Because Los Angeles’ municipal borders are porous, the case resembles a natural experiment. Using a novel 5-year price survey dataset, we show that the full incidence of the higher minimum wage fell on customers in high-income neighborhoods, and that none of the incidence fell on customers in low-wage neighborhoods. Additionally, exposure to competitors subject to a lower minimum wage mitigated these effects, and lower-wage restaurants exposed to higher-wage competitors received monopoly rents.