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Monday, Mar. 10, 2025

Is Denver’s tipped minimum wage $4 higher than its surrounding area? 

Por Jaijongkit, The Colorado Sun
yes

The minimum wage for tipped workers in Denver is $15.79 per hour, compared with the state minimum of $11.79, which applies in most nearby cities and towns. 

Denver has the highest tipped minimum wage among the handful of municipalities that depart from the state minimum. 

The cities of Edgewater and Boulder have a minimum tipped wage of $13.50 and $12.55 per hour, respectively, and unincorporated Boulder County has a minimum tipped wage of $13.55. The rest of Colorado uses the state minimum. Workers must collect at least $1.64 in tips per hour to qualify as tipped employees. 

A 2019 bill allowed local governments to set their own minimum wages above Colorado’s rate to meet cost of living increases.A couple living in Denver, without children, must each make at least $17.90 per hour to meet annual costs. A similar couple in Boulder must each make at least $18.41 per hour. 

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