Boulder minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Boulder is $16.82 an hour in 2026, $1.66 above the Colorado rate of $15.16. It rises to $18.17 on January 1, 2027. The City of Boulder's wage comes from Ordinance 8664, adopted by City Council on November 7, 2024, which set three fixed annual steps ending at $18.17 on January 1, 2027. It applies only inside city limits; the rest of Boulder County follows either the county rate or the state rate.
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At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $16.82 an hour, since January 1, 202612 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $18.17 on January 1, 2027 (set in law)1 |
| Tipped employees | $13.80 cash wage, tip credit up to $3.0212 |
| Full-time pay | $673 a week, $34,986 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, 303-318-8441 |
What to know about the Boulder minimum wage
Boulder had no local minimum wage until January 1, 2025; before then employers in the city paid the Colorado state rate. Ordinance 8664, passed by City Council on November 7, 2024, set three fixed steps: $15.57 for 2025, $16.82 for 2026 and $18.17 for 2027, increases of $1.25 and then $1.35.12 From January 1, 2028 the ordinance switches to the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood CPI-U, raising the wage by the previous year's price increase, if any.1
The city line matters. The Boulder rate covers only work inside city limits, and it covers minors at the full rate. Just outside, in unincorporated Boulder County, the county's separate minimum applies, while the other towns in the county use the Colorado state rate.1
Food and beverage workers are the one group that can be paid less in cash. Their actual tips may cover up to $3.02 an hour, so the cash wage is $13.80 in 2026; if the tip credit stays at $3.02, it would be $15.15 when the full rate reaches $18.17 on January 1, 2027.12 Workers in every other industry get the full rate regardless of tips.
Unpaid wages can be reported to the city itself: Boulder's Office of Human Rights investigates claims under the Failure to Pay Wages Ordinance, and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment investigates as well. Employers must post the rate in English and Spanish, in letters at least one inch high, and keep payroll records for three years.1
All 2026 rates
Most workers get the standard city rate. Food and beverage employers may count up to $3.02 an hour of a worker's actual tips toward it, which gives a minimum cash wage of $13.80 in 2026; workers in other industries must get the full rate.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide rate | All work inside City of Boulder limits, including by minors$18.17 from January 1, 20271 | $16.8212 |
| Tipped food and beverage cash wage | Food and beverage workers whose tips cover the $3.02 tip credit$15.15 from January 1, 20271 | $13.802 |
Compared with Colorado
When a local minimum wage, the state minimum wage and the federal minimum wage differ, the employer must pay the highest one that applies to the work. For most covered work in Boulder, that is the local rate.
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Boulder | $18.17 on January 1, 2027 | $16.82 |
| Colorado (state) | $15.71 on January 1, 2027 | $15.16 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $13.80 an hour12 |
| Maximum tip credit | $3.02 an hour |
Food and beverage workers' tips may offset no more than $3.02 an hour of the city wage, so their cash wage must be at least $13.80 in 2026 and $15.15 in 2027 if the tip credit stays at $3.02.
An employer that takes a tip credit must make up the difference whenever wages plus tips fall short of the full minimum wage for the workweek. See the tipped minimum wage guide.
How the rate changes
Ordinance 8664 fixed $15.57 for 2025, $16.82 for 2026 and $18.17 for 2027. From January 1, 2028 the rate rises each year by the prior year's increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood.
The $18.17 rate for January 1, 2027 is the last fixed step in Ordinance 8664; inflation indexing takes over from January 1, 2028.
Rate history
Who is covered
Covers work done inside City of Boulder limits, including work by minors; there is no youth subminimum. Unincorporated areas around the city follow the Boulder County rate, and other towns in the county follow the Colorado state rate.
- Before January 1, 2025 the Colorado state minimum wage applied in Boulder.
- Employers must post the Boulder minimum wage in English and Spanish, in letters at least one inch high, and keep payroll records for three years.
- The City Council took no action in July 2026 to change the $3.02 tip credit for 2027, so the cap shown on the city page stands.
- Wage complaints can go to the city's Office of Human Rights, which investigates under the Failure to Pay Wages Ordinance, or to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
Other local rates in Colorado
- Denver$19.29
- Edgewater$18.17
- Boulder County (unincorporated areas)$16.82
Everywhere else in Colorado, the state rate applies.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | Colorado Department of Labor and Employment |
|---|---|
| Phone | 303-318-8441 |
| The law | City of Boulder Ordinance 8664 (adopted November 7, 2024) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Boulder, Local Minimum Wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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