Colorado Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official Colorado Department of Labor and EmploymentColorado's minimum wage is $15.16 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This Colorado minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $15.16 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $606.40 before tax, or roughly $31,532.80 across a full year. Enter your own hours per week and weeks worked to see your gross pay, and edit the rate if you are paid above the minimum. The minimum wage is a floor, not a ceiling: employers can pay more, and some cities in Colorado set their own higher local minimums. Tipped workers can be paid a lower cash wage as long as tips bring them up to the minimum; see the tipped calculator for that. The figure here is the state rate for 2026, sourced directly from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
Colorado's 2026 minimum wage is $15.16 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $606.40 a week and $31,532.80 a year before tax.
How Colorado minimum wage pay is calculated
weekly pay = hourly rate x hours per week
annual pay = hourly rate x hours per week x weeks per year
overtime = hourly rate x 1.5 (hours over 40 in a week, FLSA)
These are gross figures before federal and Colorado income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our Colorado paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
Denver, Edgewater, and Colorado's local ladder
Colorado's minimum wage is written into the state constitution (Amendment 70, passed in 2016) and adjusted every year by the Colorado consumer price index. The 2026 statewide rate rose to $15.16 an hour on January 1, up from $14.81, under the annual PAY CALC Order. A full-time year at $15.16 is roughly $31,532.80 before tax, based on 2,080 hours.
The state figure, though, is often not the one that matters where you actually work. Colorado is one of the few states that expressly lets local governments set higher minimums, and several have. Denver leads at $19.29 an hour, Edgewater sits at $18.17, and unincorporated Boulder County runs its own higher rate as well. Someone clocking in downtown Denver is entitled to $19.29, not the $15.16 state number, a difference of more than $8,000.00 a year for a full-time schedule. That is why entering your city matters as much as your hours.
Tipped workers add another wrinkle. Colorado allows a tip credit of up to $3.02 an hour, so a tipped cash wage can be as low as $12.14, but tips must bring total pay to the applicable minimum, and in Denver that target is the higher local figure, not the state one. If tips fall short, the employer covers the rest. Because both the state rate and several local rates reset each January, confirm the current numbers with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and your city before relying on them.
Colorado minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Colorado in 2026?
Colorado's minimum wage is $15.16 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $15.16 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $606.40 a week and $31,532.80 a year before tax. This rate took effect on January 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in Colorado per year?
At Colorado's $15.16 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $31,532.80 a year ($2,627.73 a month) in gross pay before tax and deductions. Part-time hours scale down from there; use the calculator to enter your own hours.
Does Colorado's minimum wage change every year?
Yes. Colorado adjusts its minimum wage each year for inflation (cost of living), so it typically rises a little every January. Always check the current figure with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment before relying on it.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Colorado?
Colorado lets employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage of $12.14 an hour and count up to $3.02 of tips toward the minimum (a "tip credit"). If cash wage plus tips does not reach $15.16 an hour, the employer must make up the difference. See our Colorado tipped minimum wage calculator for the full breakdown.
Is Colorado's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. Colorado's $15.16 is $7.91 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $16,452.80 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- Colorado 2026 minimum wage rate: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, as at July 11, 2026.
- Federal minimum wage ($7.25) and overtime rules: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 11 July 2026. See our methodology. General information, not legal or financial advice. Rose from $14.81 to $15.16 on 2026-01-01 (PAY CALC Order); adjusted annually by Colorado CPI. Several local jurisdictions set higher minimums. Local minimums: Denver $19.29; Edgewater $18.17; Boulder County higher.