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The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday, June 11, to increase the minimum wage for county employees to $30 an hour. The total cost of the move, in salaries and benefits to all employees, is $326,827 annually.
The change comes after a task force, composed of staff from the County Executive’s Office and Human Resources Department, was tasked with determining a living wage for county employees.
The task force calculated the sum by looking at costs in the area, accounting for the benefits the county already provides, for a family of two working adults and one child. Task force members determined the hourly wage should be $29.76 but rounded it up to $30, according to a report presented to the supervisors.
Only two county job classifications, Office Assistant I and Medical Services Assistant I, were paid below $30 an hour. The eight employees in those positions will receive an increase as soon as the next pay period.
There are 71 other employees who are paid below $30 an hour. Departments are increasing these employees’ salary steps without action from supervisors, according to a county press release.
The increase in wages also increases the county’s obligation to the San Mateo County Employees’ Retirement Association by approximately $28,000.
The minimum wage for all employees in the state is $16 an hour but many cities in San Mateo County have greater. The average state and local government worker is paid $37.53 an hour, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in December 2023.
The salary increases do not apply to “extra-help” classifications, which provide temporary employment, according to the county.
