Some hourly Denver workers can expect a pay bump beginning on Jan. 1, as the city’s local minimum wage rate will increase to $19.29 from $18.81, the city’s Department of Finance announced on Thursday.

For tipped food and beverage workers, the minimum wage will jump to $16.27 per hour, up from $15.79 per hour in 2025, provided they earn at least $3.02 in actual tips.

Denver’s minimum wage is determined by a local ordinance enacted in 2019, which mandates an annual increase based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area.

The CPI-W used for the 2026 wage adjustment was 2.56%, slightly less than that of 2.84% for 2025 and 5.8% for 2024.

Denver has one of the highest minimum wage rates in the nation and is significan

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