San Jose minimum wage

$18.45 an hour since January 1, 2026, rising to $19.00 on January 1, 2027. That's $1.55 above the California rate of $16.90.

Who it covers: Employers subject to the San Jose business license tax or with a facility in San Jose, for employees who perform at least two hours of work in a calendar week within San Jose, for each hour worked in the city.

From	Hourly rate	Tipped cash wage	Official source
January 1, 2026	$18.45	$18.45 (no tip credit)	sanjoseca.gov checked 2026-10-26
January 1, 2027 scheduled	$19.00	$19.00 (no tip credit)	sanjoseca.gov checked 2026-10-26

Changes not announced yet

January 1, 2028: Annual adjustment by the August Bay Area CPI-W (San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose), capped at 5% and rounded to the nearest five cents. The ordinance requires the adjusted rate to be announced by October 1. (sanjoseca.gov)

We add the amount as soon as it's published. The API returns these under pending_changes.

Good to know

San Jose's Office of Equality Assurance also enforces the minimum wage ordinances of Mountain View, Santa Clara, Palo Alto and Milpitas.
The ordinance (Ord. 29829) also sets a lower rate for certified Youth Training Program employees aged 17 or younger. The city doesn't publish a current figure, and the state minimum wage still applies to them, so it isn't modeled here.
California doesn't allow a tip credit, so tipped employees get the full rate.

Get an email when the San Jose minimum wage changes

One email when a new rate is announced, and a reminder a week before it takes effect. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

Does the San Jose rate apply at an address?

Live API, free for 50 lookups a day without an account. US street addresses.

Get the San Jose rate by API

One call returns the federal, state, county and city rates that apply at an address, the one that governs, the tipped cash wage and the next change, each with its official source.

curl "https://bankday.dev/v1/minimum-wage?state=CA&city=San%20Jose" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BANKDAY_KEY"

API docs · Pricing · State rates are free. City and county rates by name start on the Developer plan, address lookups on the Business plan.

Questions

What is the minimum wage in San Jose in 2027?

$19.00 an hour from January 1, 2027.

Who does the San Jose minimum wage cover?

Employers subject to the San Jose business license tax or with a facility in San Jose, for employees who perform at least two hours of work in a calendar week within San Jose, for each hour worked in the city.

When does the San Jose minimum wage go up next?

On January 1, 2027, to $19.00 an hour.

Rates come from the official sources linked on this page, checked on the dates shown. This is data, not legal advice: confirm with the official source before relying on it. Found a mistake? Email hello@bankday.dev.