Burien minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Burien is $21.78 an hour in 2026 (Large employers, 501 or more), $4.65 above the Washington rate of $17.13. It rises to $22.49 on January 1, 2027. Burien's rates come from a February 2025 voter initiative and depend on employer size. The 2026 figures were changed in June 2026, after the city repealed its competing council ordinance, so earlier publications may show different, outdated rates.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $21.78 an hour (Large employers, 501 or more), since January 1, 20261 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $22.49 on January 1, 2027 (announced)1 |
| Tipped employees | $21.78, the full minimum wage before tips1 |
| Full-time pay | $871 a week, $45,302 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Burien, (206) 241-4647 |
What to know about the Burien minimum wage
For more than a year Burien had two minimum wage laws at once. The City Council adopted its own ordinance, Chapter 5.15, which took effect on January 1, 2025. Voters then passed a citizen initiative in February 2025, the Fair Labor Standards Ordinance in Chapter 5.16, which took effect on March 23, 2025 with a large-employer rate of $21.10, equal to Tukwila's.1
The overlap was resolved in 2026. The council acted on May 18, 2026, repealed Chapter 5.15 effective May 27, 2026, and on June 4, 2026 the city restated the 2026 rates under the initiative: the 2025 figures plus 3.2% inflation, giving $21.78 for large employers, $20.78 for medium and $19.28 for small.1 A related King County Superior Court case was voluntarily dismissed in July 2026.1 Some lists, including the state's local rates page, have continued to show the repealed ordinance's 2026 figures of $21.63 and $20.63 and an exemption for employers with 20 or fewer workers.2 Those figures no longer apply. How the June change affects pay periods earlier in 2026 has not been confirmed from the city's rules.
The initiative goes further than a wage rate. Tips and service charges belong to employees on top of the minimum, larger employers must offer extra hours to part-time staff before hiring, and from January 31, 2027 employers must certify compliance each year. Workers can sue within five years.1 From January 1, 2027 medium employers match the large-employer rate.
All 2026 rates
Rates depend on how many people the employer has: large employers (501 or more) pay $21.78, medium employers (16 to 500) pay $20.78 and small employers (15 or fewer) pay $19.28 under the 2026 figures. Franchisees are sized by their whole franchise network, not by their own location.
The gaps are closing. Medium employers started $2.00 below the large-employer rate and close $1.00 a year, so they match it from January 1, 2027. Small employers started $3.00 below and close $0.50 a year, to $2.00 below in 2027.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Large employers (501 or more) | 501 or more employees, or a franchisee in a network of more than 500 employees$22.49 from January 1, 20271 | $21.781 |
| Medium employers (16 to 500) | 16 to 500 employees, or a franchisee in a network of 16 to 500 employees$22.49 from January 1, 20271 | $20.781 |
| Small employers (15 or fewer) | 15 or fewer employees$20.49 from January 1, 20271 | $19.281 |
Compared with Washington
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 Burien, that is the local rate.
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Burien | $22.49 on January 1, 2027 | $21.78 |
| Washington (state) | $17.73 on January 1, 2027 | $17.13 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Not allowed: tips are on top of the full minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $21.78 an hour1 |
Tips and service charges must go to employees and are paid on top of the hourly minimum; they cannot count toward it.
How the rate changes
The large-employer rate rises each January 1 by the change in the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue over the 12 months ending in August, and the city publishes the next year's rates by October 15. Medium and small rates are set as fixed amounts below the large rate.
Medium employers pay the same as large employers from January 1, 2027, and small employers $2.00 less.
Rate history
Who is covered
Employees working in Burien for any employer, with the rate set by employer size: large (501 or more employees), medium (16 to 500) and small (15 or fewer). Franchisees are classed by the size of their franchise network.
- Burien Municipal Code Chapter 5.16, the Fair Labor Standards Ordinance, was passed by voters in February 2025 and took effect on March 23, 2025, with a starting large-employer rate equal to Tukwila's 2025 rate of $21.10.
- A separate council-adopted minimum wage, Chapter 5.15, ran alongside it from January 1, 2025 until the council repealed it effective May 27, 2026.
- Large and medium employers must offer additional hours to qualified part-time employees before hiring new staff, subcontractors or temporary agency workers.
- From January 31, 2027 employers must certify their compliance with the city each year. Workers may bring a civil action within five years of a violation.
Other local rates in Washington
- Tukwila$21.65
- Renton$21.57
- Seattle$21.30
- King County (unincorporated areas)$20.82
- Everett$20.77
- SeaTac (hospitality and transportation only)$20.74
- Bellingham$19.13
Everywhere else in Washington, 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 Burien |
|---|---|
| Phone | (206) 241-4647 |
| The law | Burien Municipal Code Chapter 5.16, Fair Labor Standards Ordinance (voter initiative, February 2025); Draft Burien Administrative Rule 2026-01 (updated 2026-06-04) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Burien, Minimum Wage (page updated 2026-09-16) Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2
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