CA minimum wage raises statewide and even higher in certain cities
California’s minimum wage is set to go up again in January, hitting a major milestone sought by labor advocates and activists.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, California’s minimum wage will increase to $15 an hour for employers with 26 or more employees. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, the minimum wage rises to $14.
With this latest increase, California now has the highest statewide minimum wage in the country. California’s minimum wage is now more than double the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour.
Several cities in California have an even higher minimum wage than the statewide amount.
West Hollywood has the highest minimum wage in the country: $17.64 an hour for hotel workers, according to payroll experts Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. Non-hotel workers have a minimum wage of $15.50 an hour in West Hollywood, though that amount is set to increase to $16.50 an hour in July 2022.
The UC Berkeley Labor Center tracks local minimum wages in the state and across the country. Other California cities and counties with higher minimum wages effective Jan. 1 include:
— Belmont ($16.20)
— Berkeley ($16.32)
— Burlingame ($15.60)
— Cupertino ($16.40)
— Daly City ($15.53)
— El Cerrito ($16.37)
— Emeryville ($17.13)
— Fremont ($15.25 for employers with 26 or more employees)
— Half Moon Bay ($15.56)
— Hayward ($15.56)
— Los Altos ($16.40)
— Menlo Park ($15.75)
— Milpitas ($15.65)
— Mountain View ($17.10)
— Novato ($15.77 for employers with 100 or more employees, $15.53 for employers with 26 to 99 employees)
— Oakland ($15.06 an hour)
— Palo Alto ($16.45)
— Petaluma ($15.85)
— Redwood City ($16.20)
— Richmond ($15.54)
— San Carlos ($15.77)
— San Francisco ($16.32)
— San Jose ($15.45)
— San Mateo ($16.20)
— Santa Clara ($16.40)
— Santa Rosa ($15.85)
— Sonoma ($16 for employers with 26 or more employees)
— South San Francisco ($15.80)
— Sunnyvale ($17.10)