Colorado & Denver Minimum Wage
The 2024 Colorado minimum wage is $14.42/hr for standard pay, and $11.40/hr for tipped employees. In addition, the 2024 minimum salary requirement for exempt workers in Colorado is $55,000 ($1,054.79/workweek).
The City of Denver also increased the standard minimum wage for all citywide workers in 2024 to $18.29/hr for standard pay, and $17.29/hr for tipped workers.
A list of each state's minimum wage rate can be found on the US Department of Labor's website. The federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the minimum wage for federal contractors is $17.20/hr (tips are no longer credited toward the minimum wage for tipped employees, and tipped employees who work on covered contracts will also be entitled to a minimum wage of $17.20/hr).
COLORADO & DENVER HOURLY MINIMUM WAGE, 2018 - 2024
| Year | Colorado Standard & Tipped Hourly Minimum Wage | Denver Standard & Tipped Hourly Minimum Wage (if no higher local minimum) |
Edgewater Standard & Tipped Hourly Minimum Wage | Boulder Standard & Tipped Hourly Minimum Wage (only unincorporated areas) |
| 2024 | $14.42 standard / $11.40 tipped | $18.29 standard / $17.29 tipped | $15.02 standard / $12.00 tipped | $15.69 standard / $12.67 tipped |
| 2023 | $13.65 standard / $10.64 tipped | $17.29 standard / $14.27 tipped | ||
| 2022 | $12.56 standard / $9.54 tipped | $15.87 standard / $12.85 tipped | ||
| 2021 | $12.32 standard / $9.30 tipped |
$14.77 standard / $11.75 tipped | ||
| 2020 | $12.00 standard / $8.98 tipped |
$12.85 standard / $9.83 tipped | ||
| 2019 | $11.10 standard / $8.08 tipped |
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| 2018 | $10.20 standard / $7.18 tipped |