Minimum wage in Colorado, 2000–2027
- Minimum wage in 2026
$15.16 an hour1
- On January 1, 2027
$15.71 an hour1
Up $0.55 from today.
- Tipped employees
$12.14 an hour in cash2
Employers may count up to $3.02 an hour of tips toward the minimum wage. Tipped: more than $30 a month in tips.
- Overtime
Premium pay after 12 hours a day or 40 hours a week3
- Denver minimum wage
$19.29 an hour4
Per Denver Labor (Denver Auditor's Office): “Denver's Minimum Wage in 2026: $19.29/hour”
- Denver from Jan 1, 2027
$19.84 an hour4
Per Denver Labor (Denver Auditor's Office): “Denver's minimum wage in 2027: $19.84/hour”
The Colorado state-law minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15.16 in 2026; the federal rate applied where higher; $15.71 from Jan 1, 2027
Line chart of the Colorado minimum wage against the federal minimum: $5.15 in 2000, $7.24 in 2010, $12.02 in 2020, $15.16 in 2026, and $15.71 in 2027. The federal minimum was $5.15 in 2000 and $7.25 in 2026.
What a full-time minimum-wage employee costs in Colorado
At $15.16 an hour for 40 hours a week, a new employer with 10 staff pays $31,533 in wages and $3,857 on top (12.2%) in payroll taxes and workers' comp. At the 2027 rate of $15.71 with 2026 payroll tax rates: $36,639 a year.
- Wages (2,080 paid hours a year)
- $31,533
- Social Security (employer share)6.2%6 of $31,533
- $1,955
- Medicare (employer share)1.45%7 of $31,533
- $457
- FAMLI (employer share)0.44%11 of $31,533
- $139
- Workers' compensation (benchmark index rate)$1.05 per $100 of payroll12
- $331
- Total a year
- $35,390
If you also offer single health coverage, the average employer here pays about $7,198 more a year: a $8,816 average premium13 less $1,618 paid by the employee13.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Colorado in 2026?
$15.16 an hour: $31,533 a year at full time.
What will the minimum wage be in Colorado in 2027?
$15.71 an hour from Jan 1, 2027, after $15.16 an hour in 2026: $32,677 for a full-time year.
What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in Colorado?
$12.14 an hour in cash, with up to $3.02 of tips counted toward Colorado's $15.16.
How much does a minimum-wage employee cost an employer in Colorado?
About $35,390 a year full time at $15.16: $31,533 of pay plus $3,857 on top, $3,526 in payroll taxes and $331 in workers' comp, before any health coverage.
How has the Colorado minimum wage changed since 2000?
The Colorado state-law minimum wage rose from $5.15 in 2000 to $15.16 in 2026; the federal rate applied where higher; $15.71 from Jan 1, 2027. On the way: $7.24 in 2010 and $12.02 in 2020, per the U.S. DOL.
When do Colorado employers have to pay overtime?
The U.S. DOL lists Colorado's premium pay as «Daily - 12, Weekly - 40», at one and one-half times the regular rate unless otherwise specified.
More minimum wage and employer cost pages
Employer costs in Colorado
States with a similar minimum wage
Data and rules for every state
Sources
The 13 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment cdle.colorado.gov/press-releases/press-release-colorado-minimum-wage-will-increase-to-1571/hour-in-2027“$15.71 per hour is a 3.6% increase from the current minimum wage of $15.16” “Press Release: Colorado Minimum Wage will Increase to $15.71/hour in 2027”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped“Definition of Tipped Employee by Minimum Tips received (monthly unless otherwise specified) … State requires employers to pay tipped employees a minimum cash wage above the minimum cash wage required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ($2.13/hour) … Colorado $15.16 $3.02 $12.14 More than $30”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state“Colorado … Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $15.16 … Premium Pay After Designated Hours 1 : Daily - 12, Weekly - 40 … The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified.”
- Denver Labor (Denver Auditor's Office) denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Auditors-Office/Denver-Labor/Citywide-Minimum-Wage“Denver's Minimum Wage in 2026: $19.29/hour” “Denver's minimum wage in 2027: $19.84/hour”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Changes in Basic Minimum Wages in Non-Farm Employment Under State Law: Selected Years 1968 to 2024“Colorado 1.00 - 1.25(b) 1.00 - 1.25(b) 1.00 - 1.25(b) 1.00 - 1.25(b) 1.90 1.90 1.90 … Colorado 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 4.75 5.15 … Colorado 5.15 5.15 5.15 5.15 5.15 5.15 5.15 … Colorado 6.85 7.02 7.28 7.24 7.36 7.64 7.78 … Colorado 8.00 8.23 8.31 9.30 10.20 12.00 … Colorado 12.02 12.32 12.56 13.65 14.42” “Federal (FLSA) $1.15 & $1.60 $1.30 & $1.60 $1.60 $2.20 & $2.30 $2.90 $3.10 $3.35 … Federal (FLSA) $3.35 $3.80 $4.25 $4.25 $4.25 $4.75 $5.15 … Federal (FLSA) $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 $5.15 5.15 … Federal (FLSA) 5.15 5.85 6.55 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 … Federal (FLSA) 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25” “For the years indicated, the laws in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Utah, and Wisconsin applied only to women and minors.”
- Internal Revenue Service IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide“For 2026, the social security tax rate is 6.2% (amount withheld) each for the employer and employee (12.4% total).”
- Social Security Administration ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html“Tax rates under the HI program are 1.45 percent for employees and employers, each, and 2.90 percent for self-employed persons.”
- Internal Revenue Service Topic no. 759, Form 940 – FUTA tax (IRS)“If you're entitled to the maximum 5.4% credit, the FUTA tax rate after credit is 0.6%.” “FUTA tax rate: The FUTA tax rate is 6.0%. The tax applies to the first $7,000 you paid to each employee as wages during the year.”
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment cdle.colorado.gov/employers/unemployment-insurance-premiums/introductory-rates“2026 Introductory Rates Business Classification Beginning Rate Support Rate Surcharge Rate Combined Rate Non-construction 0.0153 .0017 .0135 0.0305 General Construction 0.0153 .0017 .0135 0.0305 Heavy Construction 0.0428 .0048 .01525 0.062850”
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/January2026.pdf“CO … $30,600”
- Colorado FAMLI Division (CDLE) famli.colorado.gov/employers“The premiums are set to 0.88% of the employee’s wage, with 0.44% paid by the employer and 0.44% paid by the employee.”
- Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/cost/Pages/premium-index-rates.aspx“Premium index rate: $1.00-$1.25 … State Index rate Percent of study median … 28 41 Colorado 1.05 96%”
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (MEPS-IC) meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/summ_tables/insr/state/series_2/2025/ic25_iia_f.pdf“Table II.C.1 Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee … Division and State Total … Colorado 8,816 10,901 7,137 7,422 9,077 9,111 8,039 8,977” “Table II.C.2 Average total employee contribution (in dollars) per enrolled employee for single coverage … Division and State Total … Colorado 1,618 -- 896 * 1,588 1,527 1,776 1,295 1,685”