Oakland minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Oakland is $17.34 an hour in 2026, $0.44 above the California rate of $16.90. Oakland's wage comes from Measure FF, which voters passed in November 2014, and it applies to employers of every size. It rises each January 1 with regional inflation, and the same measure gives Oakland workers paid sick leave.
Contents10 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $17.34 an hour, since January 1, 202612 |
|---|---|
| Next change | The next rate has not been announced yet. |
| Tipped employees | $17.34, the full minimum wage before tips1 |
| Full-time pay | $694 a week, $36,067 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Oakland Department of Workplace and Employment Standards, 510-238-6258 |
What to know about the Oakland minimum wage
Oakland's minimum wage was made by voters. Measure FF, passed in November 2014 and codified as Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 5.92, set one citywide wage for employers of every size and added paid sick leave of one hour for every 30 hours worked.1 The rate is recalculated each January 1 from the August-to-August change in the regional Consumer Price Index, and it cannot fall when prices do.3
The year 2027 brings an unusual situation. Oakland's 2026 rate of $17.34 is lower than the $17.40 California minimum that takes effect January 1, 2027.4 Whatever Oakland's own inflation adjustment produces, employers in the city cannot pay less than $17.40 from that date.
Hotel workers are covered by a separate law. Measure Z sets a hotel minimum wage for covered hotels, which from January 1, 2026 is $18.85 an hour with health benefits or $25.14 without.2 Hospitality employers that collect service charges must pay that money to the employees who performed the service.1
Employers must post the minimum wage notice and give written notice of the law to each current employee and to every new hire. The Department of Workplace and Employment Standards answers questions and takes complaints at 510-238-6258 or [email protected].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 Oakland, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland | Due January 1, 2027, amount not announced | $17.34 |
| 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 Oakland 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 | $17.34 an hour1 |
Tips come on top of the full Oakland rate, since California does not allow a tip credit. Hospitality employers that add service charges must pass them to the workers who performed the service.
How the rate changes
The rate rises each January 1 by the August-to-August change in the regional Consumer Price Index and never goes down. Employers must tell employees the new rate by December 15.
Rate history
Who is covered
The Oakland rate covers every employee who works two or more hours in a week inside the city, whatever the size of the employer (Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 5.92).
- The department's office is at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3341.
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
- 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
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 Oakland Department of Workplace and Employment Standards |
|---|---|
| Phone | 510-238-6258 |
| The law | Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 5.92 (Measure FF, November 2014); City Minimum Wage Law (Measure FF) Regulations |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Oakland, Oakland Minimum Wage, Sick Leave, and Other Labor Laws Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2 City of Oakland, Download Minimum Wage and Hotel Wage Posters Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 3 City of Oakland, City Minimum Wage Law (Measure FF) Regulations Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 4
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