Colorado Minimum Wage 2026: $15.16/hr Calculator

The Colorado Minimum Wage Calculator is a free, browser-based tool that turns Colorado's 2026 minimum wage into weekly, monthly, and annual gross pay for hourly and tipped workers. Enter your rate, hours, and weeks worked to see full-time earnings — a 40-hour week at $15.16/hr equals $31,532.80 a year before taxes.

How Colorado Minimum Wage Compares to the Federal Rate

Colorado's 2026 minimum wage of $15.16 per hour is $7.91 above the $7.25 federal minimum. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not changed since 2009, meaning workers in states like Colorado rely on state law for meaningful wage floors.

At $15.16/hr working full-time (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year), a Colorado worker earns $31,532.80 gross annually. That equals $606.40 per week and roughly $2,627.73 per month.

These figures are gross (before taxes). Your take-home pay will be lower after federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%) deductions. Use our Colorado Income Tax Calculator for a net-pay estimate.

Last updated: August 2026. Rates sourced from the Colorado Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.

Tipped Workers in Colorado

The tipped minimum wage in Colorado is $12.14 per hour in 2026. Employers may pay tipped employees as little as $12.14/hr, but total compensation including tips must reach $15.16/hr. If tips fall short, the employer must make up the difference.

Tipped workers covered by Colorado law include restaurant servers, bartenders, valets, and other service workers who regularly receive tips. Always check your pay stub to ensure your employer is meeting the full minimum wage requirement.

Colorado's tipped rate works as a fixed $3.02 tip credit subtracted from the full minimum wage, which is why the tipped figure moves in step with the headline rate every January.

Denver and Local Colorado Minimum Wages in 2026

Colorado is one of the few states where a city or county can set a minimum wage above the state floor — a power granted by HB19-1210 in 2019. If you work inside one of these jurisdictions, the local rate applies, not the $15.16 state rate. For 2026 the local rates are Denver at $19.29/hr ($16.27 for tipped food and beverage workers), Edgewater at $18.17/hr ($13.50 tipped, using a $4.67 tip credit), and unincorporated Boulder County at $16.82/hr ($13.80 tipped).

A Denver worker on the city minimum earns $40,123.20 a year at 40 hours a week — $8,590.40 more than the same schedule at the state rate. To model a local rate in this calculator, type the city figure into the Hourly Rate field instead of the pre-filled state minimum. Both the state and local rules are enforced by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, with federal standards published by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Colorado Wage Increase Schedule

Colorado's minimum wage is indexed to inflation under Amendment 42, so it rises every 1 January by the change in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Consumer Price Index. The 2026 increase took the rate from $14.81 to $15.16, crossing $15 for the first time. Because the adjustment is automatic, no legislative vote is needed and the next revision will be announced in late 2026 for the 2027 year.

Employers must post the current Colorado minimum wage notice at their place of business. Violations can result in back-pay orders and civil penalties. Workers who believe they are being underpaid can file a complaint with the Colorado Department of Labor or the U.S. Department of Labor.

Bookmark this page — we update Colorado wage data each time the state announces a new rate, including CPI-indexed adjustments.