Fresno’s minimum wage rose with new CA rate. Here’s how it compares to LA, SF, Sac
While the statewide hourly minimum wage increased by 40 cents with the start of the new year, several California cities set local minimums even higher to help workers keep pace with inflation.
Fresno is not one of those cities and will adhere to the state’s new minimum wage.
Fresno’s lowest-paid workers will see an increase from $16.50 to $16.90 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2026, along with minimum wage workers in other cities across California that follow the state’s minimum rate.
The statewide bump represents a 2.49% increase from the previous number and is based on a nationwide measurement of inflation experienced by workers. The increase from 2024 to 2025 was 50 cents.
The adjustment is the lower option between a 3.5% increase or the average U.S. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers from July of the prior year to the end of June.
CA cities with higher minimum wage than statewide rate
Forty California cities and counties, particularly those in the Los Angeles and Bay Area, have enacted a minimum wage higher than the statewide rate in 2026, according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
Cities that have raised their own rates include Los Angeles ($17.87 per hour), San Francisco ($19.18), Oakland ($17.34), San Diego ($17.75), Berkeley ($19.18) and San Jose ($18.45).
West Hollywood has the highest minimum wage in California along with this year’s highest increase, going from $19.65 to $20.25 per hour.
Meanwhile, Sacramento and all cities in the Central Valley and the Central Coast are sticking with the statewide rate.