San Diego minimum wage 2026

What to know about the San Diego minimum wage

San Diego's Earned Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Ordinance took effect July 11, 2016 and sits in Municipal Code Chapter 3, Article 9, Division 1.⁠² It covers only work inside the City of San Diego; elsewhere in San Diego County the state minimum wage applies.⁠⁵

Two features set the city's indexing apart. It uses the national U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rather than a California regional index, rounded to the nearest 5 cents, and the city must announce the next rate by October 1.⁠⁵ For 2027 the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement published $18.35 in September 2026, with the employee notice in five languages.⁠³ If the state or federal minimum ever rises above the city rate, the city rate matches it.

Sick leave is part of the same ordinance: at least one hour for every 30 hours worked, with accrual capped at 80 hours if the employer chooses, or a grant of at least 40 hours at the start of the benefit year. Leave can also be used when an employee or family member is affected by domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.⁠²

The Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement takes complaints online, by mail to 1200 Third Avenue, Suite 900, at [email protected] or at 619-235-5912, and runs its own directed investigations in industries with frequent violations.⁠² Workers at large hotels, event centers and amusement parks fall under a separate Hospitality Minimum Wage Ordinance, and traffic control workers have their own.⁠⁴

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 San Diego, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).

California also sets higher statewide minimums for some jobs, which apply in San Diego 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

Tips are paid on top of the full city rate; California does not allow a tip credit.

How the rate changes

Each January 1 the rate moves by the August-to-August change in the U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), rounded to the nearest 5 cents. If the state or federal minimum rises above it, the city rate matches the higher figure.

The city's Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement published the $18.35 rate in September 2026, along with a notice in five languages.

Rate history

Who is covered

Adults and minors who work at least two hours in a calendar week within the City of San Diego are covered. Employers that meet the state rules may take the same meals and lodging credit California allows.

• The Earned Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Ordinance took effect July 11, 2016. Its sick leave part gives at least one hour per 30 hours worked in the city; employers may cap accrual at 80 hours and use at 40 hours per benefit year.
• Workers at large hotels, event centers and amusement parks fall under a separate, higher Hospitality Minimum Wage Ordinance, and traffic control workers have their own minimum wage ordinance.
• Employers must post the city's annual notice and give each new hire written notice of the employer's details and their rights under the ordinance.
• Complaints go to [email protected] or 1200 Third Avenue, Suite 900, San Diego.

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
• 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.

Sources

1. 1
   City of San Diego, Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, Minimum Wage Historical Rates (09.2026) Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   City of San Diego, Earned Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Ordinance Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   City of San Diego, 2027 Minimum Wage notice (5 languages), September 2026 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   City of San Diego, Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, Minimum Wage Program Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   City of San Diego, SDMC Chapter 3, Article 9, Division 1 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑

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