San Jose minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in San Jose is $18.45 an hour in 2026, $1.55 above the California rate of $16.90. San Jose voters approved the city minimum wage in November 2012. Its Office of Equality Assurance enforces it and, under contract, also enforces the ordinances of Mountain View, Santa Clara, Palo Alto and Milpitas. There is no small-business exemption.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.45 an hour, since January 1, 20262 |
|---|---|
| Next change | The next rate has not been announced yet. |
| Tipped employees | $18.45, the full minimum wage before tips2 |
| Full-time pay | $738 a week, $38,376 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of San Jose Office of Equality Assurance, (408) 535-8430 |
What to know about the San Jose minimum wage
San Jose voters approved the city minimum wage in November 2012, and Ordinance 29829 amended it in 2016; the law is Municipal Code Chapter 4.100.3 It covers employers of any size that pay the city business license tax or keep a facility in San Jose, for staff who work at least two hours in a calendar week in the city.
The city's Office of Equality Assurance enforces the ordinance and, under contract, also enforces the minimum wages of Mountain View, Santa Clara, Palo Alto and Milpitas.1 Workers can file a complaint at [email protected], at 408-535-8430, in person at 200 East Santa Clara Street, 5th Floor, or through an online form; the office states that complaints are kept confidential.4
The rate moves each January 1 with the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, capped at 5% and rounded to the nearest 5 cents, and the ordinance requires the new figure to be announced by October 1.3
Employers must post the official notice, give each new hire the employer's name, address and phone number, and keep records for four years.2 Certified youth training programs may pay workers aged 17 and under a separate indexed rate for up to 120 days a year, but the ordinance requires the state or federal minimum whenever that is higher.3
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide rate | Employers of any size that pay the city business license tax or have a facility in San Jose | $18.452 |
| Certified youth training programs | Workers aged 17 and under in certified training programs, for up to 120 days a year, have a separate rate that started at $10.00 in 2014 and is indexed to the national CPI-W. The ordinance requires the state or federal minimum wage whenever that is higher. | See rule3 |
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 Jose, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | Due January 1, 2027, amount not announced | $18.45 |
| 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 San Jose 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 | $18.45 an hour2 |
Tips come on top of the full San Jose rate; California does not allow a tip credit.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the rate rises by the August-to-August change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, capped at 5% and rounded to the nearest 5 cents. If prices do not rise, the rate stays the same. The ordinance requires the new rate to be announced by October 1.
Rate history
Who is covered
Employees who work at least two hours in a calendar week in San Jose are covered when their employer pays the city business license tax or has a facility in the city. Welfare-to-Work participants are included.
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
- 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
- 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 San Jose Office of Equality Assurance |
|---|---|
| Phone | (408) 535-8430 |
| The law | San Jose Municipal Code Chapter 4.100 (Minimum Wage); Ordinance No. 29829 (2016) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of San Jose, Minimum Wage Ordinance (archived copy) Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2
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- 4 City of San Jose, Office of Equality Assurance, Minimum Wage Ordinance Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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