City Announces $15.40 Living Wage Effective March 1, 2026

The City of Santa Fe announces that the Living Wage will increase to $15.40 per hour effective March 1, 2026. The 2026 Living Wage was calculated based on a 2.68 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for the Western Region for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers over the previous 12 months. The Living Wage for 2025 was $15.00 per hour.

The City's Living Wage Ordinance permits employers to count tips toward the Living Wage requirement for employees who customarily earn $100 per month or more in tips or commission. Employers may pay a base wage of $3.00 per hour. If the base wage plus tips does not equal or exceed $15.40 per hour, the employer shall pay the difference. The employee must receive at least $15.40 per hour.

Under Santa Fe County's Living Wage Ordinance, the tipped base wage must be 30 percent of the full Living Wage.

All employers within the city of Santa Fe are required to pay workers at least the Living Wage.

In 2007, the City adopted a policy to adjust the Living Wage annually based on the cost of living to help ensure that wages keep pace with inflation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 per hour since 2009. Santa Fe's Living Wage establishes a higher local standard for the city's lowest-paid workers.

Separately, recently adopted legislation will increase the Living Wage to $17.50 beginning January 2027. That change does not affect the March 1, 2026 rate of $15.40.

Click here to download the 2026 Living Wage poster in English.
Click here to download the 2026 Living Wage poster in Spanish.

Printed copies are available at the City Clerk's office at City Hall.