List: Minimum wage going up in these Bay Area cities on Jan. 1

OAKLAND, Calif. - While California voters rejected a ballot measure that would have raised the state's minimum wage to $18 by 2026, several cities across the Bay Area are increasing the minimum wage on Jan. 1, 2025.

The current statewide minimum wage rates are $16 per hour for most workers and $20 in the fast-food sector, but that is set to go up to $16.50 for most employers at the start of the new year.

The $20 minimum hourly pay for fast-food workers will remain for now. However, the Fast Food Council, which develops new minimum employment standards specific to the fast-food industry, can raise the hourly minimum wage for fast-food workers every year by either 3.5% or the increase in the consumer price index (CPI), whichever is smaller, according to the State Department of Industrial Relations.

Most Bay Area cities already have higher minimum wages than the state's rate and are pushing those hourly wages up even more on Jan. 1, according to their cities' minimum wage ordinances, which take into account the consumer price index. The CPI helps cities determine how much to boost the hourly wage when considering inflation and the cost of living.

Bay Area cities increasing minimum wage

Cities with the biggest bump

The UC Berkeley Labor Center has taken inventory of minimum wage levels and scheduled increases across California and much of the country.

Based on their findings, Belmont is raising its minimum wage by 95 cents, nearly a dollar, well above what will be the state's mandated minimum wage of $16.50 come January. San Mateo is boosting the hourly wage by 60 cents and the city of Richmond follows behind with a 57 cent increase.