Graton Resort & Casino is on a hiring run, adding hundreds of workers as the first pieces of its $1 billion expansion open — a buildout that puts the Rohnert Park gaming hall on track to become Sonoma County’s largest private employer.
Key Takeaways
- Graton has added about 500 workers in the current expansion phase, pushing its payroll toward 3,000, with a target near 3,200 once the project is done.
- Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris says the resort is already the second-largest private employer in Sonoma County and will be the largest when the expansion finishes.
- Most of the jobs are unionized, and nearly all come with a top-tier Kaiser Permanente health plan Sarris calls the “Cadillac” option.
- The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have paid Rohnert Park at least $117 million through 2025, plus tens of millions more to the county and its parks.
A hiring run built on a $1 billion bet
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria broke ground on the $1 billion expansion in June 2023, and the first wave of it opened this spring. Three new restaurants, a smoke-free casino floor and 2,000 more slot machines arrived in early May, and with them came the people to run the place.
About 500 new employees have been added in this phase, including 160 cooks, bartenders, servers and other food-and-beverage workers hired around the restaurant openings. “We are on a hiring frenzy right now,” said Jennifer Murphy-Ellamar, the resort’s vice president of culinary operations, as the casino geared up for a March job fair.
The company said in March it planned to hire 430 workers in 2026. With the spring wave in, its workforce is approaching 3,000 — and the tribe is aiming for about 3,200 by the time the project is done, which leaves a few hundred more jobs to come.
How big is Graton’s payroll
The casino opened in November 2013, owned by the Graton Rancheria and run under a management agreement. It went in as the largest gaming floor in the Bay Area, and the workforce has grown with the property.
The resort counted roughly 2,400 employees heading into this year. The latest hires push that number toward 3,000, and the tribe expects to reach about 3,200 when the expansion wraps.
That scale is what moves Graton up the rankings. Sarris has said the resort is the second-largest private employer in Sonoma County and will take the top private-sector spot once the buildout is done. The North Bay Business Journal, which named Graton one of the region’s Best Places to Work in 2024 and 2025, has said the same thing: double the footprint, add the jobs, and Graton becomes the county’s biggest private employer.
What the jobs pay
Most positions at Graton are unionized. The casino says nearly all of its jobs carry health coverage through the Kaiser Permanente Gold plan — the provider’s top-tier option, which Sarris has called the “Cadillac” plan — along with a 401(k) match, paid time off, free meals on shift and tuition reimbursement.
The wage range runs from roughly $15 an hour for entry-level positions to far higher for skilled culinary and table-games work, according to job listings. The casino runs free in-house bartender and dealer schools to train workers for those higher-paying floor jobs.
Money flowing to the county
The casino is also one of the region’s larger sources of local government money. Under deals renegotiated in 2023, the tribe makes annual payments of $13.3 million to Rohnert Park, $14.5 million to Sonoma County and $3.7 million toward the county’s regional parks and open-space preserves.
All told, Rohnert Park has collected at least $117 million from the tribe through 2025 to offset the resort’s impact on roads, public safety and other services.
Kevin King, Rohnert Park’s senior analyst of economic development, said the casino’s growth ripples out to the rest of the city. Developers behind Rohnert Park’s newer hotels have pointed to Graton as a reason they built, he said, and those hotels added to the city’s tax base.
“A successful business venture often creates success and opportunities for others near it,” King said.
What’s still coming
The spring openings were only the first stage. A new five-story hotel tower with about 200 rooms is due in 2027, along with an adults-only pool. An outdoor amphitheater seating roughly 3,800 is slated for 2028. The new rooftop restaurant, AYA, run by Michelin-starred chef Roy Ellamar, anchors the food lineup, alongside the Playbook sports bar and a doughnut shop.
California’s tribal casinos pull in about $8.5 billion in gross revenue a year and employ some 63,000 people, according to the American Gaming Association. Graton hasn’t reported its own revenue in more than a decade. The number the tribe will talk about is the payroll — past 2,900 now, headed for 3,200, and on its way to the biggest private workforce in Sonoma County before the construction is finished.
Frequently asked questions
How many people does Graton Resort & Casino employ?
The casino went into 2026 with about 2,400 workers and has added roughly 500 in the current expansion phase. The tribe is aiming for about 3,200 once the buildout is finished.
Is Graton the largest employer in Sonoma County?
Not yet. Chairman Greg Sarris says it is the second-largest private employer in the county now and will become the largest private-sector employer when the expansion is complete.
What jobs is Graton hiring for?
The latest wave has been heavy on culinary and food-and-beverage work — cooks, bartenders and servers for the new restaurants — along with beverage, security and table-games positions. Graton runs free in-house bartender and dealer schools to train workers for floor jobs.
Do the jobs come with benefits?
Most positions are unionized. The casino says nearly all jobs include a Kaiser Permanente Gold health plan, a 401(k) match, paid time off, free meals on shift and tuition reimbursement.
What else is Graton building?
The $1 billion expansion still has a five-story, roughly 200-room hotel tower and an adults-only pool due in 2027, and an outdoor amphitheater seating about 3,800 slated for 2028.