Santa Monica Minimum Wage in 2026: $18.47–$25 an hour

Sources

The 11 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.

1. City of Santa Monica santamonica.gov/minimum-wage“Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2026 $18.47 $18.47 $25.00” “The minimum wage for hotels and businesses operating on hotel property is $22.50 effective September 8, 2025 and will increase to $25.00 per hour effective July 1, 2026. Pursuant to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 4.63.015(b)(2), the hourly minimum wage for hotel workers in the City shall match the hourly wage set for hotel workers in the City of Los Angeles.” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … This amount increases annually by the published Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Works (CPI-W) for the Los Angeles metropolitan area (LA-Riverside-Orange County, CA) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Santa Monica posts the new rates annually on or near January” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) Year Businesses with 26 or more employees* Businesses with 25 or fewer employees* All Hotels** 2016 $10.50 $10.00 (CA State Minimum Wage) $13.25” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2017 $12.00 $10.50 $15.66” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2018 $13.25 $12.00 $16.10” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2019 $14.25 $13.25 $16.63” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2020 $15.00 $14.25 $17.13” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2021 $15.00 $15.00 $17.64” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2022 $15.96 $15.96 $18.17” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2023 $16.90 $16.90 $19.73” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2024 $17.27 $17.27 $20.32” “Minimum Wage Rates (as of July 1 each year) … 2025 $17.81 $17.81 $22.50” “The minimum wage for hotels and businesses operating on hotel property is $22.50 effective September 8, 2025”
2. California Department of Industrial Relations dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_minimumwage.htm“Effective January 1, 2026, the minimum wage is $16.90 per hour for all employers, not otherwise covered by a higher minimum wage specific to an industry or a locality.”
3. Internal Revenue Service IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide“For 2026, the social security tax rate is 6.2% (amount withheld) each for the employer and employee (12.4% total).”
4. Social Security Administration ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html“Tax rates under the HI program are 1.45 percent for employees and employers, each, and 2.90 percent for self-employed persons.”
5. Internal Revenue Service Topic no. 759, Form 940 – FUTA tax (IRS)“If you're entitled to the maximum 5.4% credit, the FUTA tax rate after credit is 0.6%.” “FUTA tax rate: The FUTA tax rate is 6.0%. The tax applies to the first $7,000 you paid to each employee as wages during the year.”
6. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/docs/potential_credit_states_2026.xlsx“Potential 2026 Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) Credit Reductions … California … Credit Reduction Due to … Outstanding Advance … California … 1.5%”
7. California Employment Development Department edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/rates_and_withholding“New employers are assigned a 3.4 percent UI rate for two to three years.” “The ETT rate for 2026 is 0.1 percent. The ETT taxable wage limit is $7,000 per employee, per calendar year.”
8. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/January2026.pdf“CA … $7,000”
9. Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/DCBS/DCBSPubs/reports/general/prem-rpt/24-2083.pdf“index rate, expressed in terms of dollars per $100 of payroll. … Table 1. Workers’ compensation premium rate ranking … rank State Index rate Percent of study median Effective date … 4 3 California 1.86 170% Sept. 1, 2023”
10. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (MEPS-IC) meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/summ_tables/insr/state/series_2/2025/ic25_iia_f.pdf“Table II.C.1 Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee … Division and State Total … California 9,162 7,843 9,730 9,066 8,879 9,330 9,149 9,164” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … California 1,515 1,290 * 2,325 1,262 1,734 1,397 1,602 1,499”
11. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2024“California 1.65(b) 1.65(b) 1.65(b) 2.00 2.90 2.90 3.35 … California 3.35 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.75 5.15 … California 5.75 6.25 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 … California 7.50 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 … California 9.00 9.00 10.00 10.00 11.00 12.00 … California 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.50 16.00”