Effective January 1, 2025, California minimum wage will increase to $16.50 per hour for all employers, regardless of size.
The California cities and counties below have ordinances with higher minimum wage standards. Employers must comply with the local rules. For more information, the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education publishes regular updates.
| City or County | Minimum Wage Rate |
| Alameda (effective from July 1, 2024) | $17.00 |
| Belmont | $18.30 |
| Berkeley (effective from July 1, 2024) | $18.67 |
| Burlingame | $17.43 |
| Cupertino | $18.20 |
| Daly City | $17.07 |
| East Palo Alto | $17.45 |
| El Cerrito | $18.34 |
| Emeryville (effective from July 1, 2024) | $19.36 |
| Half Moon Bay | $17.47 |
| Foster City | $17.39 |
| Hayward | $16.50 (25 or fewer employees) and |
| $17.36 (26 or more employees) | |
| Fremont (effective from July 1, 2024) | $17.30 |
| Los Altos | $18.20 |
| Menlo Park | $17.10 |
| Los Angeles City (from July 1, 2024) | $17.28 |
| Los Angeles County (Unincorporated Areas) (from July 1, 2024) | $17.27 |
| Malibu (effective from July 1, 2024) | $17.27 |
| Milpitas (effective from July 1, 2024) | $17.70 |
| Mountain View | $19.20 |
| Novato | $16.42 (25 or fewer employees) |
| $17.00 (26+ employees) | |
| $17.27 (100+ employees) | |
| Oakland | $16.89 |
| Palo Alto | $18.20 |
| Pasadena (effective from July 1, 2024) | $17.50 |
| Petaluma | $17.97 |
| Redwood City | $18.20 |
| Richmond | $17.77 |
| San Carlos | $17.32 |
| San Diego | $17.25 |
| San Francisco City and County (effective from July 1, 2024) | $18.67 |
| San Jose | $17.95 |
| San Mateo | $17.95 |
| San Mateo County | $17.46 |
| Santa Clara | $18.20 |
| Santa Monica (effective from July 1, 2024) | $17.27 |
| Santa Rosa | $17.87 |
| Sonoma | $16.96 (25 or fewer employees) and |
| $18.02 (26+ employees) | |
| South San Francisco | $17.70 |
| Sunnyvale | $19.00 |
| West Hollywood | $19.65 |
Covered employers must post conspicuously the current wage notice, which can be downloaded through the links above.
Employers with remote workers in more than one location may need to apply different minimum wage rates in each. Employers can solve this complexity by paying the highest applicable rate across the boards.
California employers in the fast food and health care industries should check their applicable minimum wage increases.
See also:
- Annual Virtual Seminar, Friday, January 17, 2025 or Friday, February 28, 2025, Covering Employment Legal Essentials and New Workplace Laws (October 10, 2024)
- What’s New in 2024 – Minimum Life Support – Health Care Facility Pay Hikes Take Effect October 16, 2024 (October 23, 2024)
- California Minimum Wage Mid-Year Rate Increases (June 28, 2024)
Helena Kobrin
Daniska Coronado
December 13, 2024