Minimum-wage workers in these Bay Area cities to earn more come July 1
OAKLAND, Calif. - Minimum-wage workers in multiple Bay Area cities will see their hourly pay increase starting July 1.
The increases vary from city to city. Workers in the following Bay Area cities will benefit:
- Alameda: $17.46 an hour (up from $17.00 an hour)
- Berkeley: $19.18 an hour (up from $18.67 an hour)
- Emeryville: $19.90 an hour (up from $19.36 an hour)
- Fremont: $17.75 an hour (up from $17.30 an hour)
- Milpitas: $18.20 an hour (up from $17.70 an hour)
- San Francisco: $19.90 an hour (up from $18.67 an hour)
The increases are part of a move to offset the impact of inflation. California was recently ranked by digital bill pay service doxo's 2025 Cost of Bills Index as the most expensive state in the country.
Municipalities including San Francisco and Milpitas have ordinances that increase their minimum wage based on annual increases in the Consumer Price Index, which has increased 2.4% over the last 12 months.
Minimum-wage workers across the state have already received a pay bump this year. The statewide minimum wage on Jan. 1 increased from $16 to $16.50, but many cities have set their own standards for the minimum wage. Municipalities including San Francisco and Milpitas have ordinances that mandate automatic minimum wage increases based on annual increases in the Consumer Price Index, which has risen by 2.4% over the last 12 months.
Cost of living
Why you should care:
The Golden State has one of the highest minimum wages in the country, second only to Washington's $16.66 and slightly higher than Connecticut's $16.35.
Fast-food workers are the notable exception. California in 2024 passed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act in April 2024. The legislation was the first of its kind in the country, and guaranteed a starting wage of $20 per hour for fast food workers. The bill also established a statewide council to set wage and safety standards at fast food eateries with more than 60 locations nationwide. That FAST Act made California's fast-food workers the highest-paid in the country.
California's non-fast food workers almost saw their wages reach similar heights — a 2024 proposition would have set the statewide minimum wage at $18 starting in 2026, but voters rejected the proposal.
Hawaii in 2022 passed a similar law, which will increase that state's minimum wage to $18 in 2028.