diff --git a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts
index 54a9409cb11..f0393dad43b 100644
--- a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts
+++ b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.e2e.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import { E2EElement, E2EPage, newE2EPage } from "@arcgis/lumina-compiler/puppeteerTesting";
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import { html } from "../../../support/formatting";
-import { accessible, focusable, hidden, renders, t9n, themed } from "../../tests/commonTests";
+import { accessible, focusable, hidden, renders, t9n, themed, defaults } from "../../tests/commonTests";
 import { findAll } from "../../tests/utils/puppeteer";
 import { CSS } from "./resources";
 
@@ -35,6 +35,19 @@ describe("calcite-pagination", () => {
     t9n("calcite-pagination");
   });
 
+  describe("defaults", () => {
+    defaults("calcite-pagination", [
+      {
+        propertyName: "totalItems",
+        defaultValue: 1,
+      },
+      {
+        propertyName: "startItem",
+        defaultValue: 1,
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   describe("page links", () => {
     it("should render only one page when totalItems is less than pageSize", async () => {
       const page = await newE2EPage();
@@ -170,6 +183,15 @@ describe("calcite-pagination", () => {
       expect(toggleSpy).toHaveReceivedEventTimes(2);
     });
   });
+  describe("start-item", () => {
+    it("checks page defaults to 1 when start-item is negative", async () => {
+      const page = await newE2EPage();
+      await page.setContent(`<calcite-pagination start-item="-2" page-size="3"></calcite-pagination>`);
+      const links = await findAll(page, `calcite-pagination >>> .${CSS.page}`);
+      expect(links.length).toBe(1);
+      expect(await links[0].getProperty("value")).toBe("1");
+    });
+  });
   describe("showing one item at a time", () => {
     let page: E2EPage;
     let pagination: E2EElement;
diff --git a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx
index 9d04c6b47b5..a3f6a149879 100644
--- a/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx
+++ b/packages/calcite-components/src/components/pagination/pagination.tsx
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export class Pagination extends LitElement {
   @property({ reflect: true }) startItem = 1;
 
   /** Specifies the total number of items. */
-  @property({ reflect: true }) totalItems = 0;
+  @property({ reflect: true }) totalItems = 1;
 
   //#endregion
 
@@ -232,8 +232,14 @@ export class Pagination extends LitElement {
   private handleLastStartItemChange(): void {
     const { totalItems, pageSize, totalPages } = this;
 
+    const isStartNegative = totalItems - pageSize < 0;
+
     this.lastStartItem =
-      (totalItems % pageSize === 0 ? totalItems - pageSize : Math.floor(totalPages) * pageSize) + 1;
+      (totalItems % pageSize === 0
+        ? isStartNegative
+          ? 0
+          : totalItems - pageSize
+        : Math.floor(totalPages) * pageSize) + 1;
   }
 
   private handleIsXXSmall(): void {