California Minimum Wage by City 2026 — Full List with the July 1 Increases
California's statewide minimum wage is $16.90 per hour in 2026 — but if you work in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, or one of dozens of other cities and counties across the state, your legal minimum is usually higher. (40 California cities and counties currently have a local minimum wage above the state rate — this guide lists all of them.) Local minimum wage ordinances are based on where you physically work, not where you live or where your employer is based.
Several of the largest cities raised their rates again on July 1, 2026 — this guide includes both the rate through June 30 and the new rate that took effect July 1, so you can see exactly what changed.
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The baseline that applies everywhere in California, unless a city or county sets a higher local rate:
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| California statewide (most employers) | $16.90/hr |
| Fast food restaurant employees (chains with more than 60 locations nationwide) | $20.00/hr |
| Large hospitals/health systems (10,000+ employees) & dialysis clinics (since July 1, 2026) | $25.00/hr |
| Most other covered healthcare facilities (since July 1, 2026) | $23.00/hr |
Healthcare minimum wages have more tiers than the table above shows — community and rural clinics ($22/hr) and safety-net and rural independent hospitals ($19.28/hr) are below $23/hr since July 1, 2026, and nursing homes are covered only if a hospital or health system owns or runs them. If you work in healthcare, check your specific facility type on the CA DIR healthcare worker minimum wage page rather than assuming the general rate above.
If the place where you work isn't listed in this guide, the statewide rate of $16.90/hr applies to you (note: unincorporated areas of Los Angeles and San Mateo counties do have their own minimum, listed below) — unless you work in an industry with its own higher minimum, like fast food, health care, or some hotels.
Main cities compared — minimum wage 2026
The main cities and areas in this guide compared at a glance, highest to lowest. The dashed line marks the $16.90 statewide floor.
Bay Area cities — minimum wage 2026
The Bay Area has the highest concentration of cities with local minimum wage ordinances in the state. Most of them adjust every January 1; the cities in the table below adjust every July 1.
| City | Jan–Jun 2026 | Change | From Jul 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $19.18 | → | $19.61 |
| Berkeley | $19.18 | → | $19.61 |
| Emeryville | $19.90 | → | $20.34 |
| Fremont | $17.75 | → | $18.05 |
| Milpitas | $18.20 | → | $18.50 |
| Alameda | $17.46 | → | $17.76 |
Since July 1, Emeryville has the highest city minimum wage in California at $20.34/hr, followed by West Hollywood ($20.25). San Francisco and Berkeley are tied at $19.61/hr.
Several other Bay Area cities adjust their rates in January instead of July and are already at their 2026 rate: Mountain View ($19.70), Sunnyvale ($19.50), Santa Clara ($18.70), Palo Alto ($18.70), Redwood City ($18.65), Richmond ($19.18), San Jose ($18.45), San Mateo ($18.60), Santa Rosa ($18.21), South San Francisco ($18.15), Oakland ($17.34), Burlingame ($17.86), and San Carlos ($17.75).
Searched often, but no local ordinance: Pleasanton, Millbrae, and Arcadia (in Los Angeles County) don't have their own minimum wage law, and San Leandro's local minimum is now below the state's. So the statewide rate of $16.90/hr applies in all four.
Los Angeles area — minimum wage 2026
Los Angeles County has several overlapping ordinances — the rate depends on the exact city, and in some cases the neighborhood, where you work.
| City / Area | Jan–Jun 2026 | Change | From Jul 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Los Angeles | $17.87 | → | $18.42 |
| Los Angeles County (unincorporated areas) | $17.81 | → | $18.47 |
| Santa Monica | $17.81 | → | $18.47 |
| Pasadena | $18.04 | → | $18.57 |
| Malibu | $17.27 | → | $17.91 |
Why Malibu is lower than nearby areas: in May 2025, Malibu's city council paused its July 2025 raise for one year to support businesses affected by the Palisades Fire, so the rate stayed at $17.27 until June 30, 2026. On July 1, 2026 it went up 3.7% to $17.91. The raise skipped in 2025 was not made up.
Heads up: hotel workers at covered hotels in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Glendale have a separate, much higher minimum of $25.00/hr effective July 1, 2026. In the City of Los Angeles, covered hotels must also pay hotel workers an additional $4.25 per hour for health coverage if they don't provide at least that much in health benefits. Other cities, like Long Beach and West Hollywood, also have their own hotel worker minimums. If you work at a covered hotel, your minimum is likely higher than the general city rate above.
San Diego — minimum wage 2026
San Diego's ordinance runs on a January cycle instead of July, so its 2026 rate has already been in effect since the start of the year.
| City / Category | Rate (since Jan 1, 2026) |
|---|---|
| City of San Diego (general) | $17.75/hr |
| San Diego County (outside city limits) | $16.90/hr (state rate) |
Since July 1, 2026, San Diego also has a separate hospitality minimum wage: $19.00/hr for covered hotels (150+ rooms) and amusement parks, and $21.06/hr for certain event centers.
Other California cities with their own minimum wage
These cities and areas also have a local minimum wage above the state rate. All of them adjust on January 1, so these rates have been in effect since January 1, 2026. Together with the cities above, this completes the 40 California cities and counties with a local minimum above $16.90.
| City / Area | Rate (since Jan 1, 2026) |
|---|---|
| West Hollywood | $20.25/hr |
| Belmont | $18.95/hr |
| El Cerrito | $18.82/hr |
| Cupertino | $18.70/hr |
| Los Altos | $18.70/hr |
| Sonoma (city) $17.38 for employers with 25 or fewer workers | $18.47/hr |
| Petaluma | $18.31/hr |
| San Mateo County (unincorporated areas) | $17.95/hr |
| Half Moon Bay | $17.91/hr |
| East Palo Alto | $17.90/hr |
| Foster City | $17.85/hr |
| Hayward $16.90 (state rate) for employers with 25 or fewer workers | $17.79/hr |
| Menlo Park | $17.55/hr |
| Daly City | $17.50/hr |
| Novato $17.73 for employers with 100 or more workers; $16.90 (state rate) for 25 or fewer | $17.46/hr |
Source: UC Berkeley Labor Center inventory of local minimum wage ordinances (updated July 23, 2026). Always confirm with your city before acting on a rate.
Why does the rate depend on where I work, not where I live?
Local minimum wage ordinances apply based on the physical location of the work performed. If you live in a city with the $16.90 state minimum but commute into San Francisco to work, you're entitled to San Francisco's $19.61 — for the hours you actually work there. Most ordinances apply to anyone who works at least two hours within city limits in a given week; that can include remote or hybrid workers when they work inside the city.
This also means that if you split your week between two cities — say, three days in Los Angeles and two in an unincorporated county area — different rates may apply to different days. Your employer is responsible for tracking this correctly, not you.
📍 Quick rule: when more than one minimum wage applies to your job (state, county, city, or industry-specific), you're entitled to the highest one.
What if I'm not being paid my city's minimum wage?
A common way workers get underpaid is when an employer pays the $16.90 statewide rate without checking whether a higher local ordinance applies to where the work is actually performed. If your pay stub shows an hourly rate below your city's minimum, that's worth investigating.
Your immigration status doesn't matter for wage protections: in California, minimum wage rules protect workers regardless of immigration status. If you believe you've been underpaid, you can file a free complaint with your city's labor standards office, if it has one (for example, the Los Angeles Office of Wage Standards), or a free wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner's Office. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you regularly work more than 8 hours a day or more than 40 in a week, overtime pay follows different rules than your base hourly rate — see our California overtime pay guide for the exact thresholds and rates.
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Try the Paycheck Checker »Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in California in 2026?
California's statewide minimum wage is $16.90 per hour as of January 1, 2026. However, many cities and counties set their own higher local minimum wage, and employers generally must pay whichever applicable rate is higher.
What is the minimum wage in Los Angeles in 2026?
Since July 1, 2026, the City of Los Angeles minimum wage is $18.42 per hour (it was $17.87 from January 1 to June 30). Unincorporated Los Angeles County is $18.47 since July 1 (it was $17.81).
What is the minimum wage in San Francisco in 2026?
Since July 1, 2026, San Francisco's minimum wage is $19.61 per hour (it was $19.18 from January 1 to June 30) — among the highest in California.
Why do some California cities have a higher minimum wage than the state?
Cities and counties can pass local ordinances that set a minimum wage higher than the state's, usually tied to local cost of living. When a local rate covers the job, employers generally must pay the higher of the local or state rate.
Does the higher city minimum wage apply if I live outside the city but work inside it?
Yes. Local minimum wage ordinances are based on where the work is physically performed, not where the employee lives or where the employer is headquartered. Most ordinances cover anyone who works at least two hours within city limits in a given week.
What if my employer pays me less than my city's minimum wage?
That may be a wage violation. You can file a free complaint with your city's labor standards office, if it has one, or a free wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner's Office, regardless of your immigration status. In our Paycheck Checker, you can enter your city's minimum as the hourly rate to estimate what you would have received.
Sources
The numbers in this article come from these official sources and references:
- UC Berkeley Labor Center — Inventory of city and county minimum wage ordinances — local rates by city (inventory updated July 23, 2026)
- California DIR — Minimum Wage 2026 — the $16.90 state minimum wage
- Labor Commissioner — How to file a wage claim — how to file a free wage claim
- Labor Commissioner — Fast Food Minimum Wage FAQ — $20 at chains with more than 60 locations nationwide
- Labor Commissioner — Health Care Worker Minimum Wage FAQ — health care minimum wage tiers
- City of Malibu — Minimum wage notice — the one-year pause of the 2025 increase after the Palisades Fire (the city's notice may still show the earlier rate; the $17.91 figure comes from the UC Berkeley inventory)
- Each city's own labor standards office publishes its official rate; check it if you work in one of these cities