City minimum wage · 2026
Santa Monica, California minimum wage
The general minimum wage in Santa Monica, California is $17.81 per hour, effective July 1, 2025. This is the rate for standard (non-tipped, non-exempt) employees.
- Rate (general)
- $17.81/hr
- Effective
- 2025-07-01
- Status
- validated
- Source confidence
- 100%
Citation: the Santa Monica, California general rate of $17.81/hr, effective July 1, 2025, sourced from the PeopleAnalyst wage-compliance dataset (contract v0.20.0), snapshot retrieved 2026-06-30. Rates change — see the maintained feed below for live updates and the full per-rule citation trail. How we source & validate this →
What this number doesn't cover
One headline rate answers one question. Paying people legally — and being able to prove you did — needs more than a number you typed into a spreadsheet last quarter:
- ·Variants: tipped, youth/training, and small-employer rates often differ from the headline — and they change on their own schedules.
- ·Local ordinances: California has city/county rates above the state floor — the metro you forgot you employ someone in.
- ·Scheduled increases:next year's rate is often already law. Knowing the future-dated step lets you budget and avoid a surprise.
- ·Citations:when an auditor or an employee asks, “a website said so” isn't an answer. Each rule carries its source and effective date.
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Local rates in California
- Alameda — $17.46
- Belmont — $18.95
- Berkeley — $19.18
- Burlingame — $17.86
- Cupertino — $18.70
- Daly City — $17.50
- East Palo Alto — $17.90
- El Cerrito — $18.82
- Emeryville — $19.90
- Foster City — $17.85
- Fremont — $17.75
- Half Moon Bay — $17.91
- Hayward — $17.79
- Los Altos — $18.70
- Los Angeles — $17.87
- Malibu — $17.27
- Menlo Park — $17.55
- Milpitas — $18.20
- Mountain View — $19.70
- Novato — $17.46
- Oakland — $17.34
- Palo Alto — $18.70
- Pasadena — $18.04
- Petaluma — $18.31
- Redwood City — $18.65
- Richmond — $19.18
- San Carlos — $17.75
- San Diego — $17.75
- San Francisco — $19.18
- San Jose — $18.45
- San Mateo — $18.60
- Santa Clara — $18.70
- Santa Rosa — $18.21
- Sonoma — $18.47
- South San Francisco — $18.15
- Sunnyvale — $19.50
- West Hollywood — $20.25