03 Jan Richmond Makes Bay Area’s Largest Minimum Wage Increase of New Year

(Ray St. Germain / Bay City News)

By Alise Maripuu
Bay City News

Raises in minimum wage went into effect New Year’s Day for dozens of cities throughout the Bay Area.

The statewide minimum wage rose to $16.90 from $16.50, but many cities in the Bay Area have ordinances that allow them to set higher minimum wages to help reflect the high costs of living in the region.

The average increase in minimum wage for cities that made the change for Jan. 1 was 45 cents.

For cities in Santa Clara County, minimum wage rose to $19.70 in Mountain View, $19.50 in Sunnyvale, $18.70 in Los Altos and the city of Santa Clara, and $18.45 in San Jose. Mountain View now has the second-highest minimum wage in the Bay Area, with Emeryville topping the list when its minimum wage rose to $19.90 on July 1, 2025.

In Contra Costa County, the minimum wage rose to $18.82 in the city of El Cerrito. Richmond raised its minimum wage with a whopping $1.41 increase from $17.77 to $19.18, the greatest increase of any Bay Area city for Jan. 1, 2026.

For cities in San Mateo County, minimum wages increased to $18.95 in Belmont, $18.65 in Redwood City, $18.60 in San Mateo, $18.15 in South San Francisco, $17.91 in Half Moon Bay, $17.90 in East Palo Alto, $17.86 in Burlingame, $17.85 in Foster City, $17.75 in San Carlos, $17.55 in Menlo Park , and $17.50 in Daly City.

In Alameda County, minimum wage increased to $17.34 in Oakland. Hayward raised its minimum wage to $17.79 for large employers and $16.90 for small employers.

In Sonoma County, minimum wage rose to $18.31 in Petaluma and $18.21 in Santa Rosa. For the city of Sonoma, the minimum wage increased to $18.47 for large businesses and $17.38 for small businesses.

Novato’s minimum wage increased to $17.46 for large employers and $16.90 for small employers.

Most wage adjustments follow the U.S. Department of Labor’s Regional Consumer Price Index, which shows changes in average prices in certain regions over time.

The state minimum wage is more than two times higher than the federal minimum wage.

“The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009. That’s unacceptable,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a social media post Friday. “In California, we’re about growing the economy and wages for working people.”

Employers in cities with new wage increases are required to post signage in their workplaces that informs employees about the changes.

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