Berkeley minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Berkeley is $19.61 an hour in 2026, $2.71 above the California rate of $16.90. Berkeley's rate changes each July 1, following the previous calendar year's San Francisco-area inflation for wage earners. Nonprofits are covered the same as businesses, and the yearly city notice also carries Berkeley's paid sick leave, flexible-schedule and Fair Workweek rules.
Contents10 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $19.61 an hour, since July 1, 202621 |
|---|---|
| Next change | The city notice lists July 1, 2027 as "$19.61 + CPI-W"; the dollar figure depends on 2026 inflation and is normally posted in spring 2027. |
| Tipped employees | $19.61, the full minimum wage before tips21 |
| Full-time pay | $784 a week, $40,789 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Berkeley Labor Standards and Enforcement Program, Health, Housing, and Community Services Department, (510) 981-5400 |
What to know about the Berkeley minimum wage
Berkeley treats the minimum wage as one of a set of local workplace laws run by a single office. The Labor Standards and Enforcement Program in the Health, Housing, and Community Services Department administers the wage under Municipal Code Chapter 13.99, together with paid sick leave, the Family Friendly and Environment Friendly Workplace Ordinance and the Fair Workweek Ordinance.2 Under the family-friendly law, a worker can ask for a flexible schedule and must get a written answer within 21 days.
The wage moves on July 1. The increase follows the previous calendar year's change in the CPI-W for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area, so the rise to $19.61 on July 1, 2026, up $0.43 from $19.18, reflected prices in 2025.1 Because the figure waits for a full year of price data, Berkeley publishes it in spring; the 2026 notice appeared in April.2
Complaints can be mailed or emailed to [email protected], and the city accepts forms even if incomplete, from employees or anyone else.1 Retaliation is unlawful, and the program can audit payroll and order corrective action. City contractors fall under a separate Living Wage Ordinance, which sets a higher wage than the general minimum.
Compared with California
When a local minimum wage, the state minimum wage and the federal minimum wage differ, the employer must pay the highest one that applies to the work. For most covered work in Berkeley, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | Due July 1, 2027, amount not announced | $19.61 |
| California (state) | $17.40 on January 1, 2027 | $16.90 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
California also sets higher statewide minimums for some jobs, which apply in Berkeley when they exceed the local rate: Fast food restaurant employees ($20.00); Health care: large systems, dialysis clinics and large-county facilities ($25.00); Health care: community, rural and intermittent clinics ($22.00); Health care: other covered facilities ($23.00). See the California page for the rules.
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Not allowed: tips are on top of the full minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $19.61 an hour21 |
Tips cannot be used to reach the Berkeley minimum, so tipped workers get the full city rate before tips.
How the rate changes
Each July 1 the rate rises by the previous calendar year's increase in the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) for San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, under Berkeley Municipal Code Chapter 13.99. The city posts the new figure in spring; the notice for July 1, 2026 went up in April 2026.
Rate history
Who is covered
Anyone who works at least two hours in a calendar week inside Berkeley is covered, whatever the size of the employer, whether it is a business or a nonprofit, and wherever the employer is based or the worker lives.
- Paid sick leave (Chapter 13.100) accrues at one hour per 30 hours worked, at least 72 hours a year; businesses with fewer than 25 employees may cap it at 48 hours.
- The Fair Workweek Ordinance (Chapter 13.102) requires covered employers to post schedules 14 days ahead and pay predictability pay for changes.
- Berkeley's Living Wage Ordinance sets a separate, higher wage for city contractors; it is not the general minimum wage.
- Questions and complaints: [email protected] or (510) 981-5400; TDD (510) 981-6903.
Other local rates in California
- Emeryville$20.34
- West Hollywood$20.25
- Mountain View$19.70
- San Francisco$19.61
- Sunnyvale$19.50
- Richmond$19.18
- Belmont$18.95
- El Cerrito$18.82
- Cupertino$18.70
- Los Altos$18.70
- Palo Alto$18.70
- Santa Clara$18.70
- Redwood City$18.65
- San Mateo$18.60
- Pasadena$18.57
- Milpitas$18.50
- Los Angeles County (unincorporated areas)$18.47
- Santa Monica$18.47
- Sonoma$18.47
- San Jose$18.45
- Los Angeles$18.42
- Petaluma$18.31
- Santa Rosa$18.21
- South San Francisco$18.15
- Fremont$18.05
- San Mateo County (unincorporated areas)$17.95
- Half Moon Bay$17.91
- Malibu$17.91
- East Palo Alto$17.90
- Burlingame$17.86
- Foster City$17.85
- Hayward$17.79
- Alameda$17.76
- San Carlos$17.75
- San Diego$17.75
- Novato$17.73
- Menlo Park$17.55
- Daly City$17.50
- Oakland$17.34
Everywhere else in California, the state rate applies.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | City of Berkeley Labor Standards and Enforcement Program, Health, Housing, and Community Services Department |
|---|---|
| Phone | (510) 981-5400 |
| The law | Berkeley Municipal Code Chapter 13.99 (Minimum Wage Ordinance) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Berkeley, Workforce Standards and Enforcement Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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