Santa Rosa minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Santa Rosa is $18.21 an hour in 2026, $1.31 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $18.83 on January 1, 2027. Santa Rosa measures inflation from June to June and publishes the coming year's rate by October 31. It has no city enforcement office: complaints go to the California Labor Commissioner's Santa Rosa office, and the city's Economic Development Division answers questions.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.21 an hour, since January 1, 20261 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $18.83 on January 1, 2027 (announced)1 |
| Tipped employees | $18.21, the full minimum wage before tips2 |
| Full-time pay | $728 a week, $37,877 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | California Labor Commissioner's Office, 707-576-2362 |
What to know about the Santa Rosa minimum wage
Santa Rosa's City Council held a study session on July 16, 2019 and voted for a local minimum wage on October 1, 2019. The wage began on July 1, 2020 at $15.00 for employers with 26 or more employees and $14.00 for smaller ones, and became a single $15.20 rate for all businesses on January 1, 2021.1
The city uses a percentage multiplier: each January the prior rate is multiplied by the June-to-June change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley area.1 That gave $17.87 in 2025 and $18.21 in 2026. The June-to-June index rose 3.41% in 2026, so the rate for January 1, 2027 is $18.83.1
Santa Rosa has no city enforcement unit. The California Labor Commissioner's Office enforces the local ordinance along with state labor law and can issue citations and penalties; its Santa Rosa office is at 50 D Street, Suite 360, phone (707) 576-2362. Employees have three years to seek remedies for violations.1 The city's Economic Development Division answers questions about the ordinance and the inflation calculation.
The hours rule is specific. An employee who works at least two hours a week in the city is owed the city rate for those hours, but driving through Santa Rosa without stopping does not count.2 Learners may be paid 85% for their first 160 hours, and tips cannot be credited against the wage.2 Employers should post the city's notice, in English or Spanish, where employees can easily read it during the workday.1
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide rate | All covered employers regardless of size$18.83 from January 1, 20271 | $18.211 |
| Learners | 85% of the city minimum wage, rounded to the nearest $0.05, for the first 160 hours in an occupation where the worker has no similar prior experience. | See rule2 |
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 Santa Rosa, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa | $18.83 on January 1, 2027 | $18.21 |
| 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 Santa Rosa 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 | $18.21 an hour2 |
The city code bars deducting or crediting tips or gratuities against the minimum wage.
How the rate changes
Each January 1 the prior rate is multiplied by one plus the June-to-June percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, rounded to the cent. The new rate is to be published by October 31.
Rate history
Who is covered
The rate applies to every hour worked inside Santa Rosa by an employee who works at least two hours there in a week, whatever the employer's size or location. Employees based outside the city are covered only in weeks when they work more than two hours in the city, and driving through without stopping does not count.
- The local wage (City Code Chapter 10-45) began July 1, 2020 at $15.00 for employers with 26 or more employees and $14.00 for smaller ones. One rate has applied to all employers since January 1, 2021.
- Questions about the rate or the inflation calculation: Economic Development Division, (707) 543-3080, [email protected].
- Employers should post the city's notice in English and Spanish.
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
- 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 | California Labor Commissioner's Office |
|---|---|
| Phone | 707-576-2362 |
| The law | Santa Rosa City Code Chapter 10-45 (Ordinance ORD-2019-014) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Santa Rosa, Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2
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