Minimum Wage/Colorado/Boulder
Boulder County vs City of Boulder Minimum Wage 2026
Two jurisdictions that share a name but not a rate. The City of Boulder’s minimum wage applies only within city limits; unincorporated Boulder County runs its own separate, lower schedule. Every figure below is checked against primary sources.
| Colorado state minimum | $15.16 / hour |
|---|---|
| Colorado tipped minimum | $12.14 / hour ($3.02 tip credit) |
Where each rate applies
Within Boulder city limits: the City of Boulder rate applies: $16.82 per hour, effective January 1, 2026, under the city's local minimum wage ordinance.
In unincorporated Boulder County: the county's own schedule applies, adopted separately and lower than the city's $16.82. Boulder County publishes the current figure on its local minimum wage page, which states that the county rate does not apply inside any incorporated city or town, the City of Boulder included. The same page offers a property search for checking whether a specific address sits in unincorporated territory.
Elsewhere in Colorado: cities and towns without a local minimum wage of their own follow the state rate of $15.16 per hour. Denver ($19.29) and Edgewater ($18.17) set their own higher rates; the full picture is on our Colorado page.
Against nearby rates
Hourly minimums compared
Hourly minimum wage as verified August 18, 2026. Bars start at $0. Unincorporated Boulder County's separate schedule is published by the county on its own page and is not shown here.
Rate record
What has taken effect and what we have checked.
January 1, 2026
City of Boulder minimum in effect: $16.82 / hour, within city limits.
August 18, 2026
Every figure on this page re-verified against the primary sources below.Latest check
Questions employers ask
Does the City of Boulder minimum wage apply in unincorporated Boulder County?
No. The City of Boulder rate ($16.82 in 2026) applies only within city limits. Unincorporated Boulder County follows its own separate, lower schedule; the two are frequently confused.
What is the minimum wage in the City of Boulder in 2026?
$16.82 per hour, effective January 1, 2026, within Boulder city limits. That is above the Colorado state minimum of $15.16.
What is the minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County in 2026?
Unincorporated Boulder County follows its own schedule, set by the county and lower than the City of Boulder's $16.82. The current county figure is published on Boulder County's local minimum wage page, and the county rate applies only outside incorporated cities and towns.
Which minimum wage applies in other Boulder County cities and towns?
The county's rate applies only in unincorporated areas. An incorporated city or town follows its own local minimum wage if it has adopted one; otherwise the Colorado state rate of $15.16 per hour applies.
How does the City of Boulder minimum wage compare with Denver and Edgewater?
Denver requires $19.29 per hour (tipped $16.27) and Edgewater $18.17 per hour (tipped $13.50) in 2026. Both are above the City of Boulder's $16.82.
Sources and caveats
Caveat: The Colorado state figures come from the adopted 2026 PAY CALC Order (7 CCR 1103-14), a PDF published on the CDLE Labor Rules page linked above; download it there to verify them directly. We deliberately do not restate unincorporated Boulder County's dollar figure: the county sets it on its own schedule, and the current number should be read from the county's page linked above.
Get notified when a Boulder rate changes
State employment law changes, in plain English, with what to do about them.
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