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 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.
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 in Colorado 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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