What's the minimum wage in San Diego?
$17.75 an hour inside the City of San Diego as of January 1, 2026 — higher than California's $16.90 statewide rate. Work in unincorporated county areas is only covered by the state rate.
- City of San Diego
- $17.75 / hour
- California statewide
- $16.90 / hour
- Large hotels & amusement parks
- $19.00 / hour
- Event centers
- $21.06 / hour
Since January 1, 2026
From July 1, 2026
Petco Park, Convention Center
The short version
- City of San Diego minimum wage: $17.75 per hour, effective January 1, 2026.
- California statewide minimum: $16.90 per hour — the floor that applies outside city limits.
- From July 1, 2026 a separate hospitality ordinance sets $19.00 for large hotels and amusement parks and $21.06 for event centers, rising to $25.00 by 2030.
- The city rate applies to work performed inside city boundaries, regardless of where the employer is based.
San Diego has its own minimum wage ordinance, so there are two numbers in play and which one applies depends on where the work happens, not where the employer's office is. Inside the incorporated City of San Diego the rate is $17.75 an hour. Outside it — including unincorporated county areas — the California state minimum of $16.90 applies unless that city has its own ordinance.
The hospitality ordinance is separate, and much higher
From July 1, 2026 San Diego phases in a distinct wage schedule for the tourism industry. It covers hotels with 150 or more rooms, amusement parks of 75 acres or more, and event centers including Petco Park and the Convention Center.
| Covered employer | From July 1, 2026 | By July 1, 2030 |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels (150+ rooms) and amusement parks (75+ acres) | $19.00 / hour | $25.00 / hour |
| Event centers (Petco Park, Convention Center) | $21.06 / hour | $25.00 / hour |
Rates escalate annually between those dates. Coverage extends to employees performing at least two hours of work a year within city boundaries in roles directly related to the business.
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
City of San Diego · October 6, 2025
The city's own announcement of the $17.75 rate and its effective date.
Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete · 2026
The state rate, the exempt salary threshold, and the hospitality ordinance schedule and coverage thresholds.