Current Minimum Wage
Boulder$16.82since January 1, 2026↑ $18.17 on January 1, 2027

City · Colorado

Boulder minimum wage

$16.82 an hour as of September 2, 2026, rising to $18.17 on January 1, 2027. The Colorado state rate is $15.16.

  • The Boulder minimum wage is $16.82 an hour, effective .
  • That is $1.66 above the Colorado state rate of $15.16 and $9.57 above the federal $7.25.
  • 2 tiers apply: all employers $16.82; food and beverage workers who receive tips (cash wage after $3.02 tip credit) $13.80.
  • The next change is : $18.17.
  • Coverage: All employees (including minors) performing work inside Boulder city limits.

Rates and tiers

TierRateSince
all employers$16.82
food and beverage workers who receive tips (cash wage after $3.02 tip credit)$13.80

Indexing

Yes
CPI-U, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood (from 2028-01-01) adjusts 01-01 announced City of Boulder

Tipped

$13.80
Colorado allows a tip credit of no more than $3.02/hr for food and beverage workers (Colo. Const. art. XVIII sec. 15); local ordinances use the same $3.02 offset.

Ordinance

City of Boulder Ordinance 8664 (passed 2024-11-07), effective 2025-01-01
Ordinance text · City of Boulder (wage claims also via CDLE Division of Labor Standards and Statistics)

Scheduled increases

January 1, 20271 jurisdiction
City$18.17
Boulder (city), COall employers · ordinance · Ordinance 8664 schedule.
$18.17from $16.82 (+$1.35)
January 1, 20281 jurisdiction
CityTBA
Boulder (city), COall employers · ordinance · Prior-year CPI-U (Denver-Aurora-Lakewood) increase applied annually from 2028.
TBAindexed, amount to be announced

2025 rate was $15.57. Tipped cash wage computed as $16.82 - $3.02 per the page's $3.02 offset. Boulder County's 2026 unincorporated rate was aligned to the same $16.82.

Common questions

What is the Boulder minimum wage?

$16.82 an hour for all employers, effective January 1, 2026.

Is the Boulder minimum wage higher than the Colorado state minimum wage?

Yes, by $1.66: $16.82 versus $15.16.

When does the Boulder minimum wage change next?

On January 1, 2027, to $18.17.

Sources

  1. https://bouldercolorado.gov/local-minimum-wage official
  2. https://bouldercounty.gov/departments/commissioners/local-minimum-wage/ official
  3. https://boulder.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/CoverSheet.aspx?ItemID=6189&MeetingID=906
  4. https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/inventory-of-us-city-and-county-minimum-wage-ordinances/

Checked 2026-09-02; researcher confidence 0.93.