If you work in Contra Costa County, your minimum wage in 2026 is $16.90 per hour under California law, unless you work inside Richmond ($19.18) or El Cerrito ($18.82), which have their own higher ordinances. Certain industries override all of these: fast food workers earn at least $20.00 per hour statewide, and covered healthcare workers earn between $18.63 and $24.00 depending on the facility. What matters is where you physically perform the work, not where your employer is based or where you live.
The State Rate of $16.90
California’s statewide minimum wage took effect at $16.90 per hour on January 1, 2026, and it covers every employer regardless of size.1Department of Industrial Relations. Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions If you work in unincorporated Contra Costa County, or in any city that hasn’t passed its own ordinance, that’s the floor your employer owes you. The older rule that let small businesses with 25 or fewer employees pay less is gone.2California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1182.12
California does not allow tip credits. Your employer cannot count gratuities toward the $16.90 floor. You’re owed the full hourly minimum on top of whatever tips you receive.3Department of Industrial Relations. Tips and Gratuities Your employer must also post the current wage order where you can see it during work hours.
Richmond: $19.18 Per Hour
Richmond’s minimum wage under Municipal Code Chapter 7.108 is $19.18 per hour as of January 1, 2026. The city rate applies to you once you perform at least two hours of work inside Richmond’s borders in a single calendar week. Your employer’s headquarters could be anywhere; what counts is the ground under your feet while you work. Richmond employers must post the city’s official minimum wage notice at the worksite.4Richmond, CA – Official Website. Minimum Wage Ordinance
El Cerrito: $18.82 Per Hour
El Cerrito’s minimum wage under Municipal Code Chapter 6.95 is $18.82 per hour for 2026. The same two-hour-per-week trigger applies: work at least two hours inside the city in a given week and you’re entitled to the local rate for those hours. El Cerrito adjusts its rate each year using the CPI for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area, so it moves independently of the state figure.5City of El Cerrito. Minimum Wage Ordinance Tips cannot offset this rate.
Everywhere Else in the County
Most other cities in Contra Costa County, including San Pablo, have no local minimum wage ordinance. Workers there follow the statewide $16.90 rate. If your workweek crosses city lines, you can be owed different rates for different shifts depending on where you physically worked each one.
Industry Rates That Beat the Local Floor
Some industries have their own statewide minimums that override both the state rate and any local ordinance when they’re higher.
Fast Food
Employees of fast food chains with 60 or more locations nationwide earn at least $20.00 per hour.6Department of Industrial Relations. Minimum Wage A fast food worker in unincorporated Contra Costa County earns $20.00, not $16.90. The same $20.00 floor controls in Richmond and El Cerrito because it exceeds both city rates. California’s Fast Food Council can adjust the figure annually.
Healthcare
California has a separate schedule for covered healthcare facilities that varies by facility type. Through mid-2026, rates run from $18.63 per hour at certain safety-net and small-county facilities up to $24.00 at large hospital systems and dialysis clinics, with most other covered facilities paying at least $21.00. Rates step up again on July 1, 2026.7State of California Department of Industrial Relations. Health Care Worker Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions If you work in healthcare, the specific category your facility falls into determines your rate.
Salaried Exempt Workers
If your employer treats you as salaried exempt (not eligible for overtime), your annual salary in 2026 must be at least twice the statewide minimum wage for full-time work, which comes to $70,304 per year.8Department of Industrial Relations. Californias Minimum Wage Set to Increase to 16.90 per Hour Earn less than that, and you’re likely misclassified. A properly classified non-exempt worker is entitled to overtime and the hourly minimum wage.
What to Do If You’re Being Underpaid
If the math on your pay stubs doesn’t match the rate you’re owed, you can file a wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. You have three years from the date each underpaid wage was due. Waiting past that cuts off your ability to recover older amounts.
Before filing, gather every pay stub from the period of underpayment and any personal record of your hours, including timekeeping apps, handwritten logs, or text messages confirming your schedule. You’ll also need the business name and address of your employer. The agency suggests checking pay stubs, mailing labels, or product labels if you’re unsure.9Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. How to File a Wage Claim
The form is DLSE Form 1, the Initial Report or Claim.10Department of Industrial Relations – Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Initial Report or Claim On it, you calculate the gap between what you were paid and what the correct rate would have given you, then multiply by your underpaid hours. Include the physical worksite address, because that’s what determines whether a Richmond or El Cerrito rate applies. You can file through the Labor Commissioner’s online portal or mail the form to the nearest district office. For Contra Costa County workers, the closest office is in Oakland at 1515 Clay Street, Suite 801.11Department of Industrial Relations. DLSE BOFE Office Locator
Within 30 days of filing, the agency notifies you and your employer about what comes next, which is usually a settlement conference, a formal hearing, or dismissal.12Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Policies and Procedures for Wage Claim Processing
What You Can Recover
Back wages are the starting point, not the ceiling. California stacks several remedies on top.
- Liquidated damages equal to the unpaid wages, effectively doubling your recovery. Your employer avoids them only by proving the violation was a genuine good-faith mistake.13California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1194.2
- Civil penalties of $100 per underpaid worker per pay period for a first intentional violation, rising to $250 per worker per pay period for repeat violations regardless of intent.14California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 1197.1
- Waiting time penalties if your employer failed to pay all wages owed when you left the job, equal to your daily pay rate for each calendar day the wages remain unpaid, up to 30 days including weekends and holidays.15Department of Industrial Relations. Waiting Time Penalty
Retaliation Is Illegal
Your employer cannot fire you, cut your hours, or take any other adverse action against you for filing a wage claim, complaining about unpaid wages, or cooperating with a Labor Commissioner investigation. The protection covers verbal complaints as well as formal filings. Retaliation carries a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation on top of any other remedies you recover.16Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Laws that Prohibit Retaliation and Discrimination