Sonoma minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Sonoma is $18.47 an hour in 2026 (26 or more workers), $1.57 above the California rate of $16.90. Sonoma sets two rates by employer size under Municipal Code Chapter 2.80, and the size count reaches well beyond the city: an employer with only a few staff in Sonoma can owe the higher rate.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.47 an hour (26 or more workers), since January 1, 202621 |
|---|---|
| Next change | The next rate has not been announced yet. |
| Tipped employees | $18.47, the full minimum wage before tips1 |
| Full-time pay | $739 a week, $38,418 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Sonoma, City Clerk / City Hall, (707) 938-3681 |
What to know about the Sonoma minimum wage
Sonoma adopted its minimum wage in 2019, after a city study, as Municipal Code Chapter 2.80.1 It has kept two employer-size rates ever since: $16.00 and $15.00 in 2022, and $18.47 and $17.38 in 2026.2
The headcount rule decides which rate applies. An employer is large if 26 or more people normally work for it in a given week, counting full-time, part-time and temporary workers wherever they work, staffing-agency workers and, for a franchisee, the franchise network.1
Both rates rise each January by inflation, capped at 3.5%. The city's announcements have been posted in November, between November 9 and November 29 in recent years.3
Sonoma allows no credit for meals or housing, and the City Council repealed the former health-benefit credit on November 16, 2020. Discretionary tips never count toward the wage, though commissions and guaranteed gratuities paid with wages can.1 Learners aged 14 to 17 may be paid 85% for their first 160 hours. Employers post the city notice in English and Spanish each year, and questions go to City Hall at (707) 938-3681.
All 2026 rates
In 2026 employers with 26 or more workers pay $18.47 and employers with 25 or fewer pay $17.38.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 26 or more workers | Employers with 26 or more people normally working for pay in a given week, counting workers inside and outside the city, staffing-agency workers and, for franchisees, the franchise network | $18.4721 |
| 25 or fewer workers | Employers with 25 or fewer people normally working for pay in a given week | $17.3821 |
| Learners aged 14 to 17 | At least 85% of the applicable Sonoma rate, rounded to the nearest nickel, for the first 160 hours of employment; the full rate after that. | See rule1 |
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 Sonoma, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoma | Due January 1, 2027, amount not announced | $18.47 |
| 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 Sonoma 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 | $18.47 an hour1 |
Tipped workers get the full rate for their employer's size before tips; discretionary tips never count toward it.
How the rate changes
Both rates rise every January 1 with the Consumer Price Index, by no more than 3.5% a year.
Rate history
Who is covered
The Sonoma rate is owed for every hour worked inside city limits by anyone who works more than two hours there in a week and is entitled to the state minimum wage, including employees based elsewhere. Government agencies are exempt, and only a bona fide collective bargaining agreement that says so explicitly can waive the ordinance.
- A separate Living Wage ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 2.70, adopted 2004) covers only the city government and organizations with more than six employees that receive city funding above set levels.
- Questions: City Hall, [email protected], 1 The Plaza, Sonoma.
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
- 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 | City of Sonoma, City Clerk / City Hall |
|---|---|
| Phone | (707) 938-3681 |
| The law | Sonoma Municipal Code Chapter 2.80 (Minimum Wage) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Sonoma, Sonoma Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2 City of Sonoma, New Sonoma Minimum Wage Rates effective January 1, 2026 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 3 City of Sonoma, New Sonoma Minimum Wage Rates effective January 1, 2025 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 4 City of Sonoma, New Sonoma Minimum Wage Rates effective January 1, 2024 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 5 City of Sonoma, New Sonoma Minimum Wage Rates effective January 1, 2023 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 6 City of Sonoma, New Sonoma Minimum Wage Rates effective January 1, 2022 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
Is a rate wrong or out of date? Report an error