Edgewater minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Edgewater is $18.17 an hour in 2026, $3.01 above the Colorado rate of $15.16. It rises to $19.84 on January 1, 2027. Edgewater adopted its own minimum wage in 2023 with the stated aim of catching up with Denver's. It was also the first Colorado city to raise its tip credit above the state's $3.02, keeping tipped workers' cash wage at $13.50 for 2026.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.17 an hour, since January 1, 202612 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $19.84 on January 1, 2027 (set in law)4 |
| Tipped employees | $13.50 cash wage, tip credit up to $4.6712 |
| Full-time pay | $727 a week, $37,794 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics, 303-318-8441 |
What to know about the Edgewater minimum wage
Edgewater's minimum wage was designed around Denver's. Ordinance 2023-07 started a local wage of $15.02 on January 1, 2024 and scheduled raises of roughly 10% a year, with the stated goal of reaching and then matching Denver's rate.1 The steps so far took it to $16.52 in 2025 and $18.17 in 2026.2
Tipped pay is where Edgewater broke new ground. A 2025 state law, HB25-1208, allowed Colorado cities to set a tip credit higher than $3.02, and Edgewater was the first to use it. Ordinance 2025-23, passed on December 16, 2025, set a $4.67 credit for 2026 only, which held the tipped cash wage at $13.50 for a second year while the full rate rose.12
The 2027 rate has been settled by ordinance. Ordinance 2026-11 sets the January 1, 2027 rate at the lesser of $19.99 or Denver's 2027 rate, and the city council's packet for October 6, 2026 states that this makes it $19.84.4
Wage complaints go to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, which enforces local minimum wages under state law, and employers must post the city rate in English and Spanish.21
All 2026 rates
Most workers get the standard Edgewater rate, $18.17 from January 1, 2026. Employers may pay tipped workers a cash wage of $13.50 in 2026, a tip credit of $4.67, but only if each worker's tips bring pay up to the full $18.17.
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 Edgewater, that is the local rate.
| Minimum wage | Next change | Per hour now |
|---|---|---|
| Edgewater | $19.84 on January 1, 2027 | $18.17 |
| Colorado (state) | $15.71 on January 1, 2027 | $15.16 |
| Federal | None scheduled | $7.25 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $13.50 an hour12 |
| Maximum tip credit | $4.67 an hour |
For 2026 only, Ordinance 2025-23 set a tip credit of $4.67, so tipped workers may be paid $13.50 an hour in cash if their tips make up the rest of the $18.17 rate for 2026.
How the rate changes
Ordinance 2023-07, as adopted, set raises of about 10% a year through 2028 so that Edgewater would reach and then match Denver's minimum wage, followed from 2029 by the greater of the local inflation increase or Denver's rate. Ordinance 2026-11 then set the January 1, 2027 rate at the lesser of $19.99 or Denver's 2027 rate.
Rate history
Who is covered
Covers anyone who works, or is expected to work, at least 4 hours a week inside Edgewater city limits, whatever the size of the employer. Time spent only traveling through the city does not count.
- The city wage started January 1, 2024 at $15.02 and rose to $16.52 in 2025 and $18.17 in 2026.
- Edgewater used HB25-1208, a 2025 state law, to become the first Colorado city with a tip credit above $3.02; the City Council passed Ordinance 2025-23 on December 16, 2025.
- Employers must post the Edgewater minimum wage in English and Spanish; the city publishes printable schedules.
- Complaints are handled by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, which enforces local minimum wages; city questions go to 720-763-3000.
Other local rates in Colorado
- Denver$19.29
- Boulder$16.82
- 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, Division of Labor Standards and Statistics |
|---|---|
| Phone | 303-318-8441 |
| The law | Edgewater Ordinance 2023-07 (local minimum wage, effective January 1, 2024); Edgewater Ordinance 2025-23 (2026 tip credit of $4.67, passed December 16, 2025) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 City of Edgewater, Colorado, Minimum Wage (Doing Business) Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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- 4 City of Edgewater, Ordinance 2026-11 and staff report on the 2027 minimum wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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