Minimum wage in Sunnyvale, 2015–2026

Minimum wage

$19.50 an hour1

Since Jan 1, 2026.

From Jan 1, 2027

$20.05 an hour1

How it is adjusted

Adjusted each year by the regional Consumer Price Index.1

California minimum wage

$16.90 an hour2

The state rate; Sunnyvale's own rate applies where it is higher.

The Sunnyvale minimum wage rose from $10.30 in 2015 to $19.50 in 2026, $2.60 above California's $16.90

$0$5$10$15$20201620182020202220242026$16.90$19.50

Line chart of the Sunnyvale minimum wage against California's: $10.30 in 2015, $11 in 2016, $13 in 2017, $15 in 2018, $15.65 in 2019, $16.05 in 2020, $16.30 in 2021, $17.10 in 2022, $17.95 in 2023, $18.55 in 2024, $19 in 2025, and $19.50 in 2026. California: $9 in 2015, $10 in 2016, $10 in 2017, $11 in 2018, $12 in 2019, $12 in 2020, $13 in 2021, $14 in 2022, $15.50 in 2023, $16 in 2024, and $16.9

Data: City of Sunnyvale, California Department of Industrial Relations, and U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, as of Nov 3, 2026. CC BY 4.0 · LeadChange Group Hiring Cost Atlas. Sunnyvale: the rate set on each step in the year, as City of Sunnyvale published it. California: the U.S. DOL table to 2024 (2025 is not in it, so the line breaks there), then the rate in force when checked.
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The Sunnyvale minimum wage rose from $10.30 in 2015 to $19.50 in 2026, $2.60 above California's $16.90. LeadChange Group Hiring Cost Atlas; Data: City of Sunnyvale, California Department of Industrial Relations, and U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, as of Nov 3, 2026. CC BY 4.0. https://leadchangegroup.com/guides/minimum-wage-by-state/california/sunnyvale/#minimum-wage-history

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Rate steps on record
The Sunnyvale minimum wage rose from $10.30 in 2015 to $19.50 in 2026, $2.60 above California's $16.90: rate steps on record
EffectiveSunnyvale
Jan 1, 2015$10.301
Jul 1, 2016$111
Jan 1, 2017$131
Jan 1, 2018$151
Jan 1, 2019$15.651
Jan 1, 2020$16.051
Jan 1, 2021$16.301
Jan 1, 2022$17.101
Jan 1, 2023$17.951
Jan 1, 2024$18.551
Jan 1, 2025$191
Jan 1, 2026$19.501
Jan 1, 2027$20.051

Each rate from the day it took effect, as City of Sunnyvale published it.

What a full-time minimum-wage employee costs an employer in Sunnyvale

At $19.50 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $40,560 in wages and $4,249 on top (10.5%) in federal and California payroll taxes and workers' comp.

Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
$40,560
Social Security (employer share)6.2%3 of $40,560
$2,515
Medicare (employer share)1.45%4 of $40,560
$588
FUTA (with California's potential credit reduction)2.1% (after the full 5.4% state credit)5 (with a 1.5% potential credit reduction)6 of $7,0005
$147
State unemployment insurance (new employer)3.4%7 of $7,0008
$238
Employment Training Tax0.1%7 of $7,0007
$7
Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate, 2024 study)$1.86 per $100 of payroll9
$754
Total a year
$44,809

If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $7,647 more a year: a $9,162 average premium10 less $1,515 paid by the employee10.

Change the inputs in the California employer cost calculator

How many people do you pay in California?

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Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Sunnyvale in 2026?

$19.50 an hour since Jan 1, 2026: $40,560 a year at full time.

What will the Sunnyvale minimum wage be in 2027?

$20.05 an hour from Jan 1, 2027.

How much does a minimum-wage employee cost an employer in Sunnyvale?

About $44,809 a year full time at $19.50 for an employer with 10 staff: $40,560 of pay plus $3,495 in payroll taxes and $754 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.

Is the Sunnyvale minimum wage higher than California's?

Yes: $19.50 is above California's $16.90 an hour by $2.60.

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.

Quotes from the sources
  1. City of Sunnyvale sunnyvale.ca.gov/business-and-development/your-business-center/minimum-wage“Effective Date: Jan. 1, 2026 Minimum Wage Rate: $19.50 per hour” “Effective Date: Jan. 1, 2027 Minimum Wage Rate: $20.05 per hour” “The rate includes an annual adjustment based on the regional Consumer Price Index.” “Jan. 1, 2015 $10.30” “July 1, 2016 $11.00” “Jan. 1, 2017 $13.00” “Jan. 1, 2018 $15.00” “Jan. 1, 2019 $15.65” “Jan. 1, 2020 $16.05” “Jan. 1, 2021 $16.30” “Jan. 1, 2022 $17.10” “Jan. 1, 2023 $17.95” “Jan. 1, 2024 $18.55” “Jan. 1, 2025 $19.00” “Covered employees include anyone who performs two hours or more of work per week in Sunnyvale.”
  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”