Santa Monica minimum wage

$18.47 an hour since July 1, 2026. That's $1.57 above the California rate of $16.90.

Who it covers: Employees (including temporary and part-time) who perform at least two hours of work in a week within Santa Monica. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees now pay the same rate as larger ones. Hotel workers have a higher rate (see variants). Adjusts each July 1.

From	Hourly rate	Tipped cash wage	Official source
July 1, 2025	$17.81	$17.81 (no tip credit)	santamonica.gov checked 2026-10-26
July 1, 2026	$18.47	$18.47 (no tip credit)	santamonica.gov checked 2026-10-26

Other rates in Santa Monica

Who	Now	Next change	Source
Hotel workers Employees whose primary place of employment is one or more Santa Monica hotels (all hotels except youth hostels), employed by the hotel or by a contractor providing services at the hotel, including businesses that contract, lease or sublet hotel premises and operate in conjunction with the hotel. Managerial, supervisory and confidential employees are excluded.	$25.00		santamonica.gov checked 2026-10-26

Changes not announced yet

July 1, 2027: General rate: annual Los Angeles area CPI-W adjustment each July 1, aligned with unincorporated Los Angeles County. Hotel rate: matches the City of Los Angeles hotel worker wage (LAMC 186.02(A)(1)), so it changes when LA's does. Neither 2027 figure is posted yet. The city says it posts new rates around January 1. (santamonica.gov)

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

Good to know

Santa Monica does not impose the health benefit requirement that Los Angeles added for hotel workers on July 1, 2026.
Paid sick leave is also required: 40 hours a year for small businesses and 72 hours for larger ones.
California doesn't allow a tip credit, so tipped employees get the full rate.

Get an email when the Santa Monica 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 Santa Monica rate apply at an address?

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

Get the Santa Monica 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=Santa%20Monica" \
  -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 Santa Monica in 2027?

The 2027 rate isn't announced yet (General rate: annual Los Angeles area CPI-W adjustment each July 1, aligned with unincorporated Los Angeles County. Hotel rate: matches the City of Los Angeles hotel worker wage (LAMC 186.02(A)(1)), so it changes when LA's does. Neither 2027 figure is posted yet. The city says it posts new rates around January 1.). Until then it's $18.47 an hour.

Who does the Santa Monica minimum wage cover?

Employees (including temporary and part-time) who perform at least two hours of work in a week within Santa Monica. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees now pay the same rate as larger ones. Hotel workers have a higher rate (see variants). Adjusts each July 1.

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.