Hayward minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Hayward is $17.79 an hour in 2026 (26 or more employees), $0.89 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $18.39 on January 1, 2027. Hayward sets two rates based on the employer's total headcount, inside and outside the city. Employers with 26 or more workers pay a city rate indexed to inflation; those with 25 or fewer pay a rate that has matched the California minimum wage since 2023.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $17.79 an hour (26 or more employees), since January 1, 202641 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $18.39 on January 1, 2027 (announced)312 |
| Tipped employees | $17.79, the full minimum wage before tips410 |
| Full-time pay | $712 a week, $37,003 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Hayward, City Manager's Office, 510-583-5540 |
What to know about the Hayward minimum wage
The first question in Hayward is how big the employer is. A business with 26 or more full- or part-time employees, counting those who work outside the city, pays the large-employer rate; one with 25 or fewer pays the small-employer rate.2 The gap is $0.89 an hour from January 1, 2026 ($17.79 against $16.90) and $0.99 from January 1, 2027 ($18.39 against $17.40).3
Both tiers come from an ordinance the City Council adopted on April 14, 2020, which started them at $15.00 and $14.00 on January 1, 2021.9 The large-employer rate is indexed: each January 1 it rises by the previous calendar year's change in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward Consumer Price Index, by no more than 5%. The small-employer rate has matched the California minimum since 2023, so it moves only when the state rate does.4
Some Hayward workers are owed more than either city rate. The city's FAQ points out that California's fast food minimum wage for national chains and its health care minimum wage take precedence for covered employers.2
The City Manager's Office publishes the bulletin by October 1 each year; the 2027 edition is dated September 15, 2026. Employers must post it in English, Spanish and Chinese, and complaints go to [email protected].3
All 2026 rates
The rate depends on how many people the business employs in total, not just in Hayward. With 26 or more full- or part-time employees, the large-employer rate applies: $17.79 from January 1, 2026 and $18.39 from January 1, 2027. With 25 or fewer, the small-employer rate applies: $16.90 from January 1, 2026 and $17.40 from January 1, 2027, the same as the state minimum.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 26 or more employees | Employers with 26 or more full- or part-time employees, counting those outside Hayward$18.39 from January 1, 2027312 | $17.7941 |
| 25 or fewer employees | Employers with 25 or fewer full- or part-time employees, counting those outside Hayward; matches the state minimum wage$17.40 from January 1, 2027312 | $16.9041 |
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 Hayward, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Hayward | $18.39 on January 1, 2027 | $17.79 |
| 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 Hayward 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 | $17.79 an hour410 |
Tips cannot be counted toward either Hayward rate, so tipped workers get the full large- or small-employer rate before tips.
How the rate changes
The large-employer rate rises each January 1 by the previous calendar year's increase in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward Consumer Price Index, capped at 5%. The small-employer rate follows the state minimum wage. The city publishes the next year's rates in a bulletin by October 1.
The city's official bulletin, updated September 15, 2026, sets $18.39 for large and $17.40 for small employers from January 1, 2027.
Rate history
Who is covered
Any full- or part-time employee who works within Hayward is covered; the city's FAQ sets the threshold at two hours a week. Where California's fast food or health care minimum wage applies and is higher, it overrides the city rate.
- The City Council adopted the local wage on April 14, 2020; the first rates, $15.00 for large and $14.00 for small employers, took effect January 1, 2021.
- Employers must post the bulletin in the three languages most spoken in Hayward (it is published in English, Spanish and Chinese), give new hires the employer's contact details in writing and keep payroll records for four years.
- Complaints go to [email protected] or 510-583-5540; wage claims can also go to the California Labor Commissioner's Oakland office at (510) 622-3273.
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
- Burlingame$17.86
- Foster City$17.85
- 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 Hayward, City Manager's Office |
|---|---|
| Phone | 510-583-5540 |
| The law | Hayward Municipal Code Chapter 6, Article 15 (minimum wage), as amended by ordinance adopted 2020-04-14 |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Hayward, Local Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2 City of Hayward, Local Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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