Denver’s local minimum wage for workers will increase to $18.29 an hour starting Jan. 1, up from $17.29, city officials announced Friday morning.
For tipped food and beverage workers, the minimum will be $15.27 per hour, as long as workers receive at least $3.02 per hour in tips. A city ordinance requires annual adjustments, based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, in an effort to ensure wages keep up with Denver’s cost of living.
“This increase can help put money in the pockets of Denver workers, ensure everyone receives a fair wage, and help Denver remain an attractive job market for employees,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a news release announcing this increase.
Employers must document that food and beverage workers receive at least $3.02 per hour in tips to get tip credits, Denver Auditor Tim O’Brien said in a statement Thursday. The office provides an online tracking tool to document the tips.
O’Brien said workers who don’t receive their promised pay or other guaranteed benefits should work with his office immediately to seek restitution. Denver’s wage protections apply to work performed within the city, regardless of immigration status.
Denver City Council members in November 2019 unanimously passed the local minimum wage ordinance. City officials say it has helped bring stability for workers who keep the city running and their families who otherwise might fall behind due to rising costs of living and inflation.
Compared with other U.S. cities, Denver’s new local minimum wage will rank relatively high — unless other cities raise their wages. In Seattle this year, the minimum has been $18.69 and in West Hollywood workers earn a minimum of $19.08. The local minimum wage has been $18.07 in San Francisco, $16 in New York City, and $16.80 in Chicago, according to city websites.
In Colorado, the state minimum wage is $13.65 an hour.
The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009, and 48 municipalities have passed higher local minimum wages, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank.
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