With the new year, the minimum wage has increased in several cities. In Palo Alto, it jumped by 50 cents an hour to $18.70 an hour, a 2.7% increase.
It went up to $19.70 in Mountain View, which now has the second-highest minimum wage in the Bay Area. Emeryville topped the list when its minimum wage rose to $19.90 on July 1, 2025.
In Los Altos, the minimum went to $18.70.
For cities in San Mateo County, minimum wages increased to $18.95 in Belmont, $18.65 in Redwood City, $18.60 in San Mateo, $17.91 in Half Moon Bay, $17.90 in East Palo Alto, $17.86 in Burlingame, $17.85 in Foster City, $17.75 in San Carlos, and $17.55 in Menlo Park.
Politicians have increased the minimum wage to help poor workers, but employers often deal with the increases by reducing the number of hours employees are assigned to work.
Cities usually have exceptions in their minimum wage ordinances for businesses that have union contracts, so people like housekeepers and gardeners who join a union are often paid less than the minimum wage.
The statewide minimum wage rose to $16.90 from $16.50, but many cities in the Bay Area have ordinances that allow them to set higher minimum wages to help reflect the high costs of living in the region.
The average increase in minimum wage for cities that made the change for Jan. 1 was 45 cents.