Burien minimum wage

$21.78 an hour since January 1, 2026, rising to $22.49 on January 1, 2027. That's $4.65 above the Washington rate of $17.13.

Who it covers: All employers for work in Burien, with three tiers under BMC Chapter 5.16 (voter initiative): large employers (501 or more employees), medium (16 to 500) and small (15 or fewer). Franchisees count the whole franchise network's employees. General periods are the large employer rate.

From	Hourly rate	Tipped cash wage	Official source
January 1, 2026	$21.78	$21.78 (no tip credit)	burienwa.gov checked 2026-10-26
January 1, 2027 scheduled	$22.49	$22.49 (no tip credit)	burienwa.gov checked 2026-10-26

Other rates in Burien

Who	Now	Next change	Source
Medium employers 16 to 500 employees	$20.78	$22.49 from January 1, 2027	burienwa.gov checked 2026-10-26
Small employers 15 or fewer employees	$19.28	$20.49 from January 1, 2027	burienwa.gov checked 2026-10-26

Changes not announced yet

January 1, 2028: Large employer rate rises by the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue CPI-W (12 months ending in August); the city publishes it by October 15, 2027. Medium employers pay the large rate from 2027 on; small employers pay the 2028 large rate minus $1.50, with the gap shrinking by $0.50 a year after that until it reaches zero. (burienwa.gov)

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

Good to know

Washington allows no tip credit, and Burien's ordinance says tips and service charges can't count toward the minimum wage.
Burien's earlier council ordinance (BMC 5.15, in effect from January 1, 2025) was repealed effective May 27, 2026; the rates here are under BMC 5.16 and Administrative Rule 2026-01 (page updated October 13, 2026).

Get an email when the Burien 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 Burien rate apply at an address?

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

Get the Burien 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=WA&city=Burien" \
  -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 Burien in 2027?

$22.49 an hour from January 1, 2027.

Who does the Burien minimum wage cover?

All employers for work in Burien, with three tiers under BMC Chapter 5.16 (voter initiative): large employers (501 or more employees), medium (16 to 500) and small (15 or fewer). Franchisees count the whole franchise network's employees. General periods are the large employer rate.

When does the Burien minimum wage go up next?

On January 1, 2027, to $22.49 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.