Flagstaff minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Flagstaff is $18.35 an hour in 2026, $3.20 above the Arizona rate of $15.15. It rises to $18.95 on January 1, 2027. Flagstaff's wage comes from Proposition 414, a citizen initiative approved by city voters in November 2016. Since January 1, 2026 there is no tip credit at all: tipped workers get the same hourly rate as everyone else, before tips.
Contents10 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.35 an hour, since January 1, 202614 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $18.95 on January 1, 2027 (announced)1 |
| Tipped employees | $18.35, the full minimum wage before tips13 |
| Full-time pay | $734 a week, $38,168 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Flagstaff Office of Labor Standards, 928-213-2071 |
What to know about the Flagstaff minimum wage
In Flagstaff a restaurant server and a cook are owed the same minimum hourly pay. Proposition 414, approved by city voters on November 8, 2016 and codified as City Code Chapter 15-01, set the tip credit at $3.00 an hour through 2021 and then cut it by 50 cents a year: $2.50 in 2022, $2.00 in 2023, $1.50 in 2024 and $1.00 in 2025.32 On January 1, 2026 it reached zero, so the tipped cash wage jumped from $16.85 to $18.35.1
The wage itself started at $10.50 on July 1, 2017, reached $15.00 in 2021 and has since followed national inflation, measured from August to August so the figure is known by fall.31 The threshold for coverage is low: 25 hours of work in Flagstaff over a whole year, so workers based outside the city who spend only a few days a year there can still be covered.1
The Office of Labor Standards at City Hall runs enforcement. It takes complaints on a Complaint Declaration Form by email, online, by mail or in person, and supplies the required posters in English, Spanish and Navajo along with a form employees sign to confirm they received the wage notice.14
Compared with Arizona
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 Flagstaff, that is the local rate.
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff | $18.95 on January 1, 2027 | $18.35 |
| Arizona (state) | $15.65 on January 1, 2027 | $15.15 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Not allowed: tips are on top of the full minimum wage |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $18.35 an hour13 |
Tipped employees must be paid the full Flagstaff minimum wage in cash since January 1, 2026. Tips belong to the employee, though tip pools among tipped employees are allowed.
How the rate changes
The rate rises every January 1 by the August-to-August change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, U.S. city average), rounded to the nearest $0.05; since January 1, 2023 the city code ties the increase to the CPI-U alone. The city must publish the next rate at least two months before it takes effect.
With no tip credit, the January 1, 2027 rate is also the tipped wage.
Rate history
Who is covered
Anyone who works, or is expected to work, at least 25 hours in a calendar year inside Flagstaff city limits is covered, whatever the employer's location or the worker's immigration status. The City of Flagstaff must pay it too; the State of Arizona and the federal government are not covered.
- Employers must post the city bulletin in English, Spanish and any language spoken by at least 5% of their workers, and give each new hire a written notice; the city's posters include a Navajo version.
- Arizona's statewide minimum wage for 2026 is $15.15, $3.20 below the Flagstaff rate.
Other local rates in Arizona
- Tucson$15.45
Everywhere else in Arizona, 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 Flagstaff Office of Labor Standards |
|---|---|
| Phone | 928-213-2071 |
| The law | Flagstaff City Code Title 15, Chapter 15-01 (Proposition 414, 'The Minimum Wage Act', approved November 8, 2016) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Flagstaff, Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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- 3 City of Flagstaff, Flagstaff City Code Title 15, Chapter 15-01 Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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