Personal Finance
Novato Increasing Minimum Wage In 2021
Novato is among the cities in California that will adjust its minimum wage next year.
NOVATO, CA — After a historically hard year for businesses and families, California and a number of its cities, including Novato, are raising their hourly minimum wage rates.
The minimum wage in California was $13 per hour, but will increase to $14 in 2021 for companies counting more than 26 employees (for businesses with fewer than 26 employees, the wage is rising from $12 to $13.)
Many municipalities already have minimum wages well above that, and several will increase next year. However, minimum wage rules are a complicated patchwork of county and municipal regulations that often vary based on the type of company. Some cities or counties, as shown below, tie their minimum wage rates to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a method of measuring inflation based of the average change in prices paid by consumers for a fixed market basket of goods and services.
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A number of cities' minimum wages automatically go up in either January or July when the CPI is updated.
Starting Jan. 1, 2021, the minimum wage within Novato city limits will increase based on business size to:
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- $15.24 per hour for very large businesses with 100 or more employees (based on CPI-W adjustment);
- $15 per hour for large businesses with 26-99 employees; and
- $14 per hour for small businesses with 1-25 employees.
Here's a handy chart of all the California counties and cities reporting any type of minimum wage increase for the coming year.
| City or County | 2020 Minimum Wage | 2021 Minimum Wage | 2020 Minimum Wage for Small Businesses | 2021 Minimum Wage for Small Businesses |
| California | $13 | $14 | $12 | $13 |
| Belmont | $15 | $15.90 | _ | _ |
| Berkeley | $16.07 | $16.07 + CPI (on 7/1) | _ | _ |
| Cupertino | $15.35 | $15.65 | _ | _ |
| Daly City | $13.75 | $15 | _ | _ |
| El Cerrito | $15.37 | $15.61 | _ | _ |
| Emeryville | $16.84 | $16.84 + CPI (on 7/1) | _ | _ |
| Fremont | $13 | $15 + CPI (on 7/1) | $13.50 | $15 (on 7/1) |
| Hayward | $13 | $15 | $12 | $14 |
| Los Altos | $15.40 | $15.65 | _ | _ |
| Los Angeles | $15 | $15 | $14.25 | $15 (on 7/1) |
| Los Angeles County | $15 | $15 | $14.25 | $15 (on 7/1) |
| Malibu | $15 | $15 | $14.25 | $15 (on 7/1) |
| Menlo Park | $15 | $15.25 | _ | _ |
| Milpitas | $15.40 | $15.40 + CPI (on 7/1) | _ | _ |
| Mountain View | $16.05 | $16.30 | _ | _ |
| Novato | $14 | $15 | $13 | $14 |
| Oakland | $14.14 | $14.36 | _ | _ |
| Palo Alto | $15.40 | $15.65 | _ | _ |
| Pasadena | $15 | $15 | $14.25 | $15 |
| Petaluma | $15 | $15.20 | $14 | $15 |
| Redwood City | $15.38 | $15.62 | _ | _ |
| Richmond | $15 | $15.21 | _ | _ |
| San Carlos | $15 | $15.24 | _ | _ |
| San Diego | $13 | $14 | _ | _ |
| San Francisco | $16.07 | $16.07 + CPI (on 7/1) | _ | _ |
| San Jose | $15.25 | $15.45 | _ | _ |
| San Mateo | $15.38 | $15.62 | _ | _ |
| Santa Clara | $15.40 | $15.65 | _ | _ |
| Santa Monica | $15 | $15 | $14.25 | $15 (on 7/1) |
| Santa Rosa | $15 | $15.20 | $14 | $15.20 |
| Sonoma | $13.50 | $15 | $12.50 | $14 |
| South San Francisco | $15 | $15.24 | _ | _ |
| Sunnyvale | $16.05 | $16.30 | _ | _ |
By Patch editor Michael Wittner
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