East Palo Alto minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in East Palo Alto is $17.90 an hour in 2026, $1.00 above the California rate of $16.90. East Palo Alto's wage reaches employers with a city business license or a facility in the city, and follows San Francisco-area inflation with no cap.
Contents10 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $17.90 an hour, since January 1, 2026134 |
|---|---|
| Next change | The next rate has not been announced yet. |
| Tipped employees | $17.90, the full minimum wage before tips1 |
| Full-time pay | $716 a week, $37,232 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of East Palo Alto, Community and Economic Development Department, (650) 853-3189 |
What to know about the East Palo Alto minimum wage
East Palo Alto's ordinance, Municipal Code Chapter 5.10, was adopted on September 1, 2020, and the city rate stood at $15.00 on January 1, 2021.1 Every increase since then has come from the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Consumer Price Index, measured from August to August, with the new rate rounded to the nearest five cents and no cap.2
That rounding rule led to a correction. A November 2023 staff report found that the increases for 2022, 2023 and 2024 had not been rounded to the nearest nickel as the code requires, and the published rates of $15.60, $16.50 and $17.10 were restated as $15.55, $16.45 and $17.00.2 The history table on this page uses the corrected figures.
Each year's rate goes to the City Council as a resolution. The rate of $17.90 from January 1, 2026 was item 3.1 on the October 7, 2025 agenda,3 and San Mateo County's 2026 reference chart lists the same amount.4 Workers can also sue in civil court, and remedies include reinstatement, back wages and penalties.1
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 East Palo Alto, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| East Palo Alto | Due January 1, 2027, amount not announced | $17.90 |
| 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 East Palo Alto 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 | $17.90 an hour1 |
Tips do not count toward the East Palo Alto minimum; tipped workers get the full city rate before tips.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the rate rises by the August-to-August change in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose Consumer Price Index, with no decrease (Municipal Code section 5.10.030.B). The City Council adopts the figure by resolution, usually in October.
Rate history
| Effective | Status | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | In effect now | $17.90134 |
| January 1, 2025 | $17.451 | |
| January 1, 2024 | Corrected in 2023 (first published as $17.10) | $17.0012 |
| January 1, 2023 | Corrected in 2023 (first published as $16.50) | $16.4512 |
| January 1, 2022 | Corrected in 2023 (first published as $15.60) | $15.5512 |
| January 1, 2021 | $15.001 |
Who is covered
Employers that pay the East Palo Alto business license tax or have a facility in the city must pay the city rate to every adult or minor employee who works at least two hours a week there.
- Employers must post the city's notice, record all hours worked and keep records for three years. Retaliation is prohibited.
- The Community and Economic Development Department takes questions and complaints at (650) 853-3189 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
- 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
- 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 East Palo Alto, Community and Economic Development Department |
|---|---|
| Phone | (650) 853-3189 |
| The law | East Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 5.10 (Minimum Wage Ordinance), adopted September 1, 2020 |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of East Palo Alto, Local Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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Is a rate wrong or out of date? Report an error