San Mateo minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in San Mateo is $18.60 an hour in 2026, $1.70 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $19.25 on January 1, 2027. The City of San Mateo caps its yearly increase at 3.5%, a limit added in August 2022, and the 2027 increase reaches that cap. Since December 1, 2025 the San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement enforces the city ordinance. Unincorporated parts of the county have a separate, lower rate.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.60 an hour, since January 1, 2026124 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $19.25 on January 1, 2027 (announced)12 |
| Tipped employees | $18.60, the full minimum wage before tips14 |
| Full-time pay | $744 a week, $38,688 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, 1-866-870-7725 |
What to know about the San Mateo minimum wage
The City of San Mateo adopted its minimum wage on August 15, 2016 and phased it up to $15.00 in 2019. Until then 501(c)(3) nonprofits followed a lower schedule; since 2020 they pay the same rate as every other employer.2
The defining feature is the cap. Amendments adopted in August 2022 limit each yearly increase to 3.5%, add a catch-up provision so the wage can realign with inflation in later years, and round to the nearest nickel.1 Both the 2026 rate of $18.60 and the 2027 rate of $19.25 were 3.5% increases.1
Enforcement moved to the county on December 1, 2025. The San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement now handles complaints through its free, confidential Labor Advice Hotline, 1-866-870-7725, or [email protected].4 Penalties can include back wages with interest and $50 a day for each affected employee, and employees who assert their rights are protected from retaliation.1
Coverage is broad: employers that pay the city business license tax or have a facility in San Mateo must pay the city rate to anyone, of any age or immigration status, who works at least two hours a week in the city. Learners with no similar experience may be paid 85% for their first 160 hours.3 The rate applies only inside city limits; unincorporated parts of the county have their own, lower minimum wage.
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide rate | All covered employers regardless of size$19.25 from January 1, 202712 | $18.60124 |
| Learners | 85% of the city minimum wage for the first 160 hours in an occupation where the worker has no similar prior experience. | 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 Mateo, 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 Mateo | $19.25 on January 1, 2027 | $18.60 |
| 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 Mateo 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 | $18.60 an hour14 |
Tips and other benefits cannot be counted toward the city minimum wage.
How the rate changes
The rate rises each January 1 with the regional Consumer Price Index, rounded to the nearest 5 cents, and never decreases. Since August 2022 each increase is capped at 3.5%, with a catch-up provision.
Rate history
Who is covered
Employers that pay the city business license tax or have a facility in San Mateo must pay the city rate to anyone who works at least two hours a week in the city, including minors and part-time and temporary workers, regardless of immigration status. Small businesses and nonprofits are covered. State and federal agencies doing governmental work and school districts are exempt, and salaried exempt employees follow state rules.
- The ordinance is Municipal Code Chapter 5.92. Employers must post the official notice.
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
- 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
- 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 | San Mateo County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement |
|---|---|
| Phone | 1-866-870-7725 |
| The law | San Mateo Municipal Code Chapter 5.92 (Minimum Wage) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of San Mateo, City of San Mateo Minimum Wage Ordinance Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2 City of San Mateo, Historical Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 3 City of San Mateo, Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 4
- 5 County of San Mateo, 2026 minimum wage reference chart Checked Oct 9, 2026
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