Colorado Minimum Wage 2026: $15.16 Statewide, $19.29 in Denver

Colorado’s minimum wage is $15.16 an hour statewide, effective January 1, 2026, adjusted annually for inflation under a formula voters approved in 2016. It rises to $15.71 an hour ($12.69 tipped) on January 1, 2027, as announced by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Denver sets its own, higher local minimum wage on top of the state floor, and several other Colorado cities and counties do the same.

Colorado at a glance

Denver and other local rates run well above the state minimum

Denver was the first Colorado city to set its own minimum wage, and in 2026 it is the highest in the state. For 2027, CDLE lists Denver at $19.84, but Edgewater’s own page lists $19.99 (see the table below):

A handful of other Colorado municipalities, including Boulder and Edgewater, have also adopted their own local minimum wage ordinances above the state floor — always confirm the specific city rate before pricing a role.

Colorado tipped minimum wage 2026, plus Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora

Colorado lets employers take a tip credit of up to $3.02 an hour, so the Colorado tipped minimum wage for 2026 is $12.14 in cash wages, as long as tips bring the employee to at least $15.16. Denver uses the same $3.02 credit against its higher local rate. Colorado Springs and Aurora have no local minimum wage, so the state rates apply.

Denver tipped minimum wage 2026

Denver Labor sets the 2026 tipped minimum for food and beverage workers at $16.27 an hour, with a tip credit of $3.02 in documented tips, against the $19.29 citywide rate. Both took effect January 1, 2026.

Colorado Springs minimum wage 2026

Colorado Springs has not adopted a local minimum wage. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s guide to local minimum wages lists Denver, Edgewater, the City of Boulder and unincorporated Boulder County, and neither Colorado Springs nor Aurora is on it. Employers in both cities pay the state $15.16, or $12.14 for tipped employees.

Local minimum wages in Colorado: Boulder, Edgewater, Lakewood and Pueblo, 2026 and 2027

Four local governments set their own minimum wage above the state floor, according to the rate table the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment publishes at cdle.colorado.gov/dlss: Denver, the City of Edgewater, the City of Boulder and unincorporated Boulder County. Lakewood, Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Aurora are not on that list, so the state rate applies there. On August 13, 2026, CDLE announced that the statewide rate rises to $15.71 an hour, and $12.69 for tipped workers, on January 1, 2027.

The City of Boulder rate applies inside city limits only; its ordinance schedule sets $16.82 for 2026 and $18.17 for 2027, then CPI increases from 2028. The Boulder County rate covers only unincorporated areas such as Niwot, Hygiene and parts of Gunbarrel, and it applies to anyone working four or more hours a week there. Towns such as Longmont, Louisville and Lafayette pay the state rate. For Edgewater, check the city’s own page before budgeting 2027: when we read both on September 24, 2026, the city listed $19.99 and CDLE listed $19.84.

What this means for hiring

A role based in Denver has to be priced at the city’s $19.29 floor, not the $15.16 state rate — a gap of more than $4 an hour that a job ad priced off the state minimum would miss entirely. Outside of Denver and the small number of other cities with their own ordinances, the standard $15.16 state rate and $3.02 tip credit apply statewide.

For breaks, overtime, final paychecks and hiring rules in Colorado, see our Colorado labor laws guide for employers.

Frequently asked questions

Part of Boostpoint’s minimum wage by state series.