Cupertino minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Cupertino is $18.70 an hour in 2026, $1.80 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $19.25 on January 1, 2027. Cupertino set its own wage in 2016 as part of a Santa Clara County regional plan to reach $15 by 2019, and has adjusted it to Bay Area inflation every January 1 since 2020. Complaints go to the California Labor Commissioner's San José office.
Contents10 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.70 an hour, since January 1, 20261 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $19.25 on January 1, 2027 (announced)16 |
| Tipped employees | $18.70, the full minimum wage before tips2 |
| Full-time pay | $748 a week, $38,896 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | California Labor Commissioner's Office, San José, (408) 277-1266 |
What to know about the Cupertino minimum wage
Cupertino's wage grew out of a regional agreement rather than a local campaign. The City Council enacted Ordinance No. 2151 (Municipal Code Chapter 3.37) on October 4, 2016, as part of a Cities Association of Santa Clara County effort for member cities to reach $15 an hour by 2019 and then follow inflation.1 The schedule went from $12.00 in 2017 to $13.50 in 2018 and $15.00 in 2019.5
Since 2020 the rate has risen each January 1 with the Bay Area Consumer Price Index. The step on January 1, 2026 was $0.50, from $18.20 to $18.70.1 The city describes the index only as the regional price index.
Coverage depends on a business tie to Cupertino: employers that pay the city business license tax or keep a facility there owe the rate to anyone who works at least two hours a week in the city, minors included and regardless of immigration status.2 Cupertino does not run its own enforcement office. Its notice directs workers to the California Labor Commissioner's Office in San José, says workers may also sue in civil court, and bars retaliation. Employers must post that notice where workers can read it.2
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 Cupertino, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Cupertino | $19.25 on January 1, 2027 | $18.70 |
| 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 Cupertino 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 | $18.70 an hour2 |
Tips are not part of the Cupertino minimum; tipped employees get the full city rate before tips.
How the rate changes
The rate rises each January 1 with the regional (San Francisco Bay Area) Consumer Price Index published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Rate history
Who is covered
Employers that pay Cupertino's business license tax or have a facility in the city must pay the city rate to every adult or minor who works at least two hours a week in Cupertino, regardless of immigration status.
- Inflation increases brought the rate to $15.35 in 2020 and $15.65 in 2021.
- Employers must post the city's official notice, published in English, Chinese, Hindi and Spanish, where employees can read it.
- The Labor Commissioner's San José office can be reached at (408) 277-1266 or [email protected].
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
- 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 | California Labor Commissioner's Office, San José |
|---|---|
| Phone | (408) 277-1266 |
| The law | Cupertino Municipal Code Chapter 3.37 (Minimum Wage Ordinance), Ordinance No. 2151 (enacted October 4, 2016) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 2
- 3 City of Cupertino, Cupertino Minimum Wage news page, archived February 9, 2024 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 4 City of Cupertino, Cupertino Minimum Wage news page, archived March 2023 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 5 City of Cupertino, Cupertino Minimum Wage news page, archived January 2022 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 6 City of Cupertino, Official Minimum Wage 2027 Notice (English) Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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