A sign at a Papa John’s in 2021 advertises wages for new hires. (BusinessDen file)
The numbers have been crunched on Denver’s next annual minimum wage increase.
The city’s Department of Finance said earlier this month that the minimum wage will bump up to $19.29 an hour in 2026. That’s an increase of 2.5% over the current wage of $18.81.
The minimum wage for tipped food and beverage workers will be $16.27 per hour, up from $15.79 per hour this year, provided they earn at least $3.02 in actual tips.
Colorado’s minimum wage, which applies if a municipality doesn’t set a higher one, is $14.81. It is expected to increase to more than $15 in January, although the state has yet to announce the figure.
Denver established a local minimum wage in 2020, increasing it gradually to $15.87 by 2022 in an effort to better reflect the local cost of living. Since then, the number has been adjusted each year based on a variant of the Consumer Price Index, a commonly used measure of inflation.
Denver’s minimum wage is one of the highest in the country, topping major cities like New York City ($16.50), Los Angeles ($17.87) and Washington, D.C. ($17.95). It trails a few places, including Seattle ($20.76) and San Francisco ($19.18).
Here is Denver’s minimum wage over the past decade:
2026: $19.29
2025: $18.81
2024: $18.29
2023: $17.29
2022: $15.87
2021: $14.77
2020: $12.85
2019: $11.10 (Colorado minimum wage)
2018: $10.20 (Colorado minimum wage)
2017: $9.30 (Colorado minimum wage)
2016: $8.31 (Colorado minimum wage)
A sign at a Papa John’s in 2021 advertises wages for new hires. (BusinessDen file)
The numbers have been crunched on Denver’s next annual minimum wage increase.
The city’s Department of Finance said earlier this month that the minimum wage will bump up to $19.29 an hour in 2026. That’s an increase of 2.5% over the current wage of $18.81.
The minimum wage for tipped food and beverage workers will be $16.27 per hour, up from $15.79 per hour this year, provided they earn at least $3.02 in actual tips.
Colorado’s minimum wage, which applies if a municipality doesn’t set a higher one, is $14.81. It is expected to increase to more than $15 in January, although the state has yet to announce the figure.
Denver established a local minimum wage in 2020, increasing it gradually to $15.87 by 2022 in an effort to better reflect the local cost of living. Since then, the number has been adjusted each year based on a variant of the Consumer Price Index, a commonly used measure of inflation.
Denver’s minimum wage is one of the highest in the country, topping major cities like New York City ($16.50), Los Angeles ($17.87) and Washington, D.C. ($17.95). It trails a few places, including Seattle ($20.76) and San Francisco ($19.18).
Here is Denver’s minimum wage over the past decade:
2026: $19.29
2025: $18.81
2024: $18.29
2023: $17.29
2022: $15.87
2021: $14.77
2020: $12.85
2019: $11.10 (Colorado minimum wage)
2018: $10.20 (Colorado minimum wage)
2017: $9.30 (Colorado minimum wage)
2016: $8.31 (Colorado minimum wage)
