Mar 9, 2026 - News
Charted: Denver's tipped minimum wage
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Denver City Council's 2019 decision to increase the citywide minimum wage led to today's high local pay rates.
Why it matters: The move called for annual pay increases starting in 2020, while any pay bump from 2023 onward is tied to the Consumer Price Index, which has risen every year.
State of play: The wage bump is intended to reflect the city's high cost of living, Denver Labor executive director Matthew Fritz-Mauer tells us.
- "What this ensures is that workers in Denver don't get left behind just by the passage of time," Fritz-Mauer adds.
Between the lines: While Coloradans collectively are making more money, housing costs and wealth inequality are also growing.
Stunning stat: The $2.13 federal tipped minimum has gone unchanged since 1991.