Sunnyvale minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Sunnyvale is $19.50 an hour in 2026, $2.60 above the California rate of $16.90. It rises to $20.05 on January 1, 2027. Sunnyvale reached $15.00 on January 1, 2018 under Ordinance 3047-14 and has followed Bay Area inflation since 2019, with a 5% annual cap. The City of Sunnyvale itself must pay the rate, and its Economic Development Division enforces the ordinance.
Contents10 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $19.50 an hour, since January 1, 202612 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $20.05 on January 1, 2027 (announced)1 |
| Tipped employees | $19.50, the full minimum wage before tips3 |
| Full-time pay | $780 a week, $40,560 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | City of Sunnyvale, Economic Development Division, (408) 730-7902 |
What to know about the Sunnyvale minimum wage
Sunnyvale's own minimum wage dates from Ordinance 3047-14, which set $10.30 on January 1, 2015 and stepped up to $15.00 on January 1, 2018.3 Inflation adjustments followed: $15.65 in 2019, $16.05 in 2020 and $16.30 in 2021, before the larger increases of the years since.1
The formula uses the year-to-August change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, capped at 5% and rounded to the nearest 5 cents. The new rate is due by November 1 or as soon as practical after the August index appears, and the timing has varied: the 2026 rate of $19.50 was announced in city news on December 4, 2025.2
Coverage reaches employers subject to the city business license tax or with a facility in Sunnyvale, including the City of Sunnyvale itself, for anyone who works at least two hours in a calendar week in the city.3 Discretionary tips cannot count toward the wage; commissions and guaranteed gratuities can, and meal or housing offsets require a prior voluntary agreement.
The Economic Development Division enforces the ordinance from 456 West Olive Avenue; complaints go to [email protected] or 408-730-7902, and its services are free and confidential.1 Administrative fines can reach $50 per employee per day, employees may also sue, and employers must post the notice in English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.3
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 Sunnyvale, that is the local rate, but some jobs have a higher statewide minimum (see below the table).
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Sunnyvale | $20.05 on January 1, 2027 | $19.50 |
| 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 Sunnyvale 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). 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 | $19.50 an hour3 |
Discretionary tips cannot count toward the wage, but commissions or guaranteed gratuities paid with other wages may. Meal and housing offsets are allowed only as state law permits and under a prior voluntary agreement.
How the rate changes
Every January 1 the rate rises by the prior year's increase, as of August, in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, capped at 5% and rounded to the nearest 5 cents. If prices do not rise, it stays the same. The new rate is announced by November 1, or as soon as practical after the August index is published.
Rate history
Who is covered
Anyone who works at least two hours in a calendar week inside Sunnyvale for a covered employer and is entitled to the state minimum wage is covered for each hour worked in the city, regardless of immigration status; Welfare-to-Work participants are included. Covered employers are those subject to the city business license tax or with a facility in the city. Other government agencies doing governmental work are exempt, and only a bona fide collective bargaining agreement can waive the ordinance.
- Ordinance 3047-14 also set $11.00 on July 1, 2016 and $13.00 on January 1, 2017; it was later amended by Ordinances 3078-16 and 3137-18 and is Municipal Code Chapter 3.80.
- Employers must give each new hire the employer's name, address and phone number in writing and keep payroll records for four years.
Other local rates in California
- Emeryville$20.34
- West Hollywood$20.25
- Mountain View$19.70
- Berkeley$19.61
- San Francisco$19.61
- 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
- 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 Sunnyvale, Economic Development Division |
|---|---|
| Phone | (408) 730-7902 |
| The law | Sunnyvale Municipal Code Chapter 3.80 (Minimum Wage), §3.80.040 |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Sunnyvale, Minimum Wage in Sunnyvale (includes rate history table) Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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