Flagstaff minimum wage rises to $18.35, tip credit eliminated
By Donovan Quintero
Special to the Times
FLAGSTAFF – Flagstaff’s minimum wage is now $18.35 an hour, and employers are required to pay that full amount to all workers, including those who earn tips.
The change took effect Jan. 1 and eliminates the use of a lower cash wage for tipped employees within city limits. Tips may still be earned, but they cannot be counted toward meeting the minimum wage requirement. Employers must pay the full hourly rate regardless of whether a worker regularly receives gratuities.
The increase follows Flagstaff’s voter-approved minimum wage ordinance, which sets wages above the state level and ties annual adjustments to the Consumer Price Index. City officials calculate the rate each year based on inflation data, resulting in the $18.35 figure for 2026.
Sarah Langley, the city’s public affairs director, said Flagstaff voters passed the measure in 2016 as Proposition 414, the Minimum Wage Act.
To read the full article, please see the Jan. 8, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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