Burlingame minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Burlingame is $17.86 an hour in 2026, $0.96 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $18.47 on January 1, 2027. Burlingame's ordinance took effect January 1, 2021, at $15.00, and since 2022 the rate has followed San Francisco-area inflation every January 1 with no cap.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $17.86 an hour, since January 1, 202612 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $18.47 on January 1, 2027 (announced)123 |
| Tipped employees | $17.86, the full minimum wage before tips41 |
| Full-time pay | $714 a week, $37,149 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, 1-866-870-7725 |
What to know about the Burlingame minimum wage
Burlingame publishes its arithmetic. The calculation sheet for 2027 takes the San Francisco-area CPI-U for August 2025 (357.99) and August 2026 (370.13), a 3.4% increase, and applies it to the 2026 rate of $17.86 to reach $18.47 from January 1, 2027.2 The formula has no cap, so a high-inflation year passes straight through: the increase on January 1, 2023 was $0.88.1
The wage comes from Ordinance No. 1982, adopted by the City Council on September 21, 2020, which started the city rate at $15.00 on January 1, 2021.4 It covers anyone working two or more hours a week in the city, minors and temporary workers included, and allows no credit for tips. It keeps one reduced rate: learners may be paid 85% of the city minimum for their first 160 hours of work.4
Timing is fixed by the code. The city must publish the next year's rate by October 1 and the posting notice by November 1, which is why the 2027 notice was available in early October 2026.3 Burlingame does not run its own investigations: violations go to the San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, while the city's Economic Development Division answers questions.1
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide rate | All employers, any size$18.47 from January 1, 2027123 | $17.8612 |
| Learners, first 160 hours | Workers who count as learners under Industrial Welfare Commission Order No. 4-2001 may be paid at least 85% of the city rate for their first 160 hours on the job, then the full rate (Burlingame Municipal Code section 6.10.020(d)). | See rule4 |
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 Burlingame, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Burlingame | $18.47 on January 1, 2027 | $17.86 |
| 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 Burlingame 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); Health care: safety net hospitals and small-county facilities ($19.28). 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 | $17.86 an hour41 |
Employers may not deduct tips from wages or count them toward the Burlingame minimum, and there is no lower rate for tipped staff.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the rate rises by the August-to-August change in the San Francisco-area Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), rounded to the cent, with no cap and no decreases. The city must publish the new rate in a bulletin by October 1 and a posting notice by November 1.
The city announced $18.47 for January 1, 2027, with a calculation sheet showing a 3.4% rise in the CPI-U between August 2025 and August 2026.
Rate history
Who is covered
Anyone who works two or more hours a week in Burlingame is covered for each hour worked in the city, including minors and temporary and part-time workers. Parents, siblings and children of an individual employer or sole owner are exempt, as are independent contractors; union members can be excluded only by an explicit written waiver in their contract.
- Municipal Code Chapter 6.10 was added by Ordinance No. 1982, adopted September 21, 2020.
- Employers must post the annual city notice and give employees copies of their own payroll records on reasonable request.
- The San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement investigates violations ([email protected]); the city's Economic Development Division answers general questions at (650) 558-7264. Workers may also sue in civil court.
Other local rates in California
- Emeryville$20.34
- West Hollywood$20.25
- Mountain View$19.70
- Berkeley$19.61
- 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
- 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 | San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement |
|---|---|
| Phone | 1-866-870-7725 |
| The law | Burlingame Municipal Code Chapter 6.10 (Minimum Wage), added by Ordinance No. 1982 (adopted September 21, 2020); Burlingame Municipal Code Chapter 6.10 on eCode360 |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Burlingame, Minimum Wage Information Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2 City of Burlingame, 2027 Minimum Wage Calculation for City of Burlingame Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 3
- 4 City of Burlingame, Ordinance No. 1982 adding Chapter 6.10 Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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