what is minimum wage in colorado

June 28, 2026

The statewide minimum wage in Colorado in 2026 is 15.16 dollars per hour for most non‑tipped workers, and 12.14 dollars per hour for tipped workers, with some cities (like Denver) having higher local minimums.

Colorado Minimum Wage – Quick Scoop

Here’s the core of what you need to know about what is minimum wage in colorado in early 2026:

Statewide standard minimum wage: 15.16 dollars per hour.

Statewide tipped minimum wage: 12.14 dollars per hour (employers can take a tip credit up to the difference).

Effective date: These rates apply starting January 1, 2026.

Annual adjustment: Colorado adjusts its minimum wage each year based on inflation, so amounts typically change every January.

Local overrides: Cities and counties can set higher minimum wages, and several big Front Range areas do.

Think of 15.16 dollars as the “floor” almost everywhere in the state, but certain cities build an extra layer of pay on top of that.

State vs. City Minimum Wages

Some Colorado cities and counties have their own minimum wage laws that are higher than the state rate, especially along the Front Range.

Here are some key examples for 2026 (rounded headline numbers):

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Location	Standard minimum wage (2026)	Tipped minimum wage (2026)	Notes
Colorado statewide	15.16 dollars/hour	12.14 dollars/hour	Applies unless a higher local wage exists.
Denver	19.29 dollars/hour in 2026	16.27 dollars/hour (tipped) in 2026	Local law sets a significantly higher wage than the state.
Boulder (city & county)	16.82 dollars/hour	13.80 dollars/hour	Applies within Boulder city and Boulder County where adopted.
Edgewater	18.17 dollars/hour	13.50 dollars/hour	Small city just west of Denver with its own rate.

In practice, if you work in Denver, your minimum wage is 19.29 dollars, not 15.16 dollars, because the higher local number wins.

How It Works for Workers and Employers

For a typical hourly worker in Colorado:

If you work outside a special city/county:
- Your minimum is 15.16 dollars per hour if you are not tipped.

* If you are a tipped worker (like many servers and bartenders), your cash wage can be as low as 12.14 dollars per hour, but your tips plus that wage must at least equal 15.16 dollars per hour.

If you work in a city like Denver or Boulder:
- You’re entitled to that city’s higher local rate (for example, 19.29 dollars per hour in Denver in 2026).

* If you are tipped, the tipped minimum in those cities also goes up (for instance, 16.27 dollars per hour tipped in Denver, 13.80 dollars in Boulder).

From the employer’s side, they have to:

Check whether the state or a local wage is higher and pay at least the highest one.

Track tips accurately if they claim a tip credit, and make up any shortfall if the employee’s total pay (wage plus tips) doesn’t reach the applicable minimum.

Update posted labor law notices every time the wage changes.

Recent Changes and “Latest News” Flavor

Colorado’s minimum wage has been on a steady upward path for several years, with small annual bumps tied to inflation. That’s how it moved from 13.65 dollars in 2023, to 14.42 dollars in 2024, to 14.81 dollars in 2025, and then up over the symbolic 15‑dollar line to 15.16 dollars in 2026.

Cities like Denver have been in the spotlight because:

Denver’s local wage is now 19.29 dollars per hour in 2026, which is notably higher than many other big U.S. cities’ minimums.

Local governments are experimenting with their own tip‑credit rules and higher standards, creating a bit of a “patchwork” that employers and workers have to navigate.

So when people on forums ask “what is minimum wage in colorado?” these days, a lot of the replies now say something like:

“It depends where you’re working — it’s 15.16 dollars statewide, but Denver is over 19 dollars now, and Boulder and some suburbs are higher too.”

That mix of state and local rules is exactly what’s shaping the current trending discussion around Colorado wages.

Quick TL;DR

Colorado statewide minimum wage (2026): 15.16 dollars/hour (standard), 12.14 dollars/hour (tipped).

Denver and some other cities are higher (for example, Denver: 19.29 dollars/hour standard).

Rates adjust each January based on inflation, so expect new numbers again in 2027.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.