HOURLY WAGE INDEX

Let’s talk wages in Colorado

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$15.16

What is the minimum wage in Colorado?

As of January 2026, the minimum wage in Colorado is $15.16 per hour for employees covered by the Colorado minimum wage law. This is up from the previous year's rate of $12.56 per hour. Employees not covered by the Colorado minimum wage law, such as those exempt from the law or who work in certain industries, may be paid a lower wage.

The Colorado minimum wage refers to the legally mandated minimum hourly wage that employers must pay their employees within the state. It's important to note that the minimum wage in Colorado can change over time to keep up with the state's economic conditions and cost of living. To get the most up-to-date information on the current minimum wage in Colorado, it is advisable to consult the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment or other authoritative sources. Employers in Colorado must ensure compliance with the minimum wage laws to avoid legal penalties and provide fair compensation to their workers.

 

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$34.60

What is the average wage in Colorado?

The average wage in Colorado is $34.60 per hour, or $71,960 per year. This is higher than the national average wage of $20.73 per hour, or $43,460 per year. The cost of living in Colorado is also higher than the national average, which means that workers need to earn more money to maintain the same standard of living.

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$34.87

What is the living wage in Colorado?

The living wage in Colorado is $16.54 per hour, or $34,488 per year. This is the hourly wage that a worker needs to earn to support themselves and their family. The living wage is higher than the minimum wage, but it is still below the average wage.

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$19.29

What is the minimum wage in Denver, Colorado?

As of 2026 the minimum wage in Denver, Colorado is $19.29 per hour for employees who are covered by the city's minimum wage law.

A guide to hourly labor laws in Colorado

  • Final Paychecks:
  • Wage Payment Frequency: Employees must be paid at least once per month on regular paydays no later than 10 days after the close of the pay period (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-4-103).
  • Paid Sick Leave: Accrued at a rate of at least one hour per every 30 hours worked, with unused leave carrying over. Employers can limit annual accrual to 48 hours (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-13.3-401).
  • Paid Family and Medical Leave: Colorado's Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (PFMLI) program provides employees with up to 12 weeks of paid leave (Colorado PFMLI Act § 8-13.3-501). Colorado's leave is in addition to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave (FMLA).
  • Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children Under 16:
    • Non-school sessions: Children under 16 may not work more than eight hours per day or 40 hours per week.
    • School sessions: Three hours per school day and 18 hours per school week. Hours: Children may not work between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. before school days (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-12-105) (DoL) (29 C.F.R. § 570.35).
  • Maximum Daily and Weekly Hours for Children 16 and 17: California has no maximum daily or weekly hours, but minors are restricted from working during school hours if they must attend school (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-12-101-117) (DoL) (29 C.F.R. 570.35).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gross wages and net wages?

It's important to remember that the Hourly Wage Index data above reflects gross wages, or the amount of money an employee earns before accounting for payroll deductions like taxes, benefits, or wage garnishments. Due to variability in tax rates across locations, slightly lower gross wages in a certain location might result in higher take home pay, or vice versa.

What is a good hourly wage?

This question is a difficult one to answer, as a "good hourly wage" is highly subjective according to experience, work responsibilities, cost of living, and other factors. We recommend using Hourly Wage Index data as a starting point. Once you have established a baseline for certain positions, do further research into similar businesses in your area. Lastly, consider surveying your employees. They're the best resource to help you know what is a good hourly wage, what competitive pay looks like in your location, and how competitive wages change in your industry over time.

Offering competitive pay is one of my top priorities—what other resources do you have that might help?

We know that getting applicants to pay attention to your business can be extremely challenging, and that offering competitive pay is a huge part of that. Wages aren’t everything, however! Applicant experience is another important factor that can help set you apart from your competition. A few examples include:


  • Short, easy to understand job descriptions
  • Mobile-friendliness
  • Quick communication
  • Streamlined interview stages
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Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Information

Before we discuss the right to limit and the right to opt-out, we must first define personal information and how it relates to sensitive personal information.

Personal information is any data that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to you or your household. A few examples of personal information include:

  • Name or nickname
  • Email address
  • Purchase history
  • Browsing history
  • Location data
  • Employment data
  • IP address
  • Profiles businesses create about you, including pseudonymous profiles (“user1234”)
  • Sensitive personal information

Sensitive personal information or “SPI” is a subset of personal information, defined as:

  • Identifying information (e.g. social security number, driver’s license)
  • Financial data (e.g. debit or credit card numbers)
  • Precise geolocation (within a radius of 1,850 feet)
  • Demographic or protected-class information (e.g. race/ethnicity, religion, union membership)
  • Biometric and genetic data (e.g. fingerprints, palm scans, facial recognition)
  • Communications and content (e.g. mail, email, text messages)
  • Health and sexual orientation (e.g. vaccine records, health history)

Right to Opt-Out

Californians have the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information. That means you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties (e.g. data brokers, advertisers). You also have the right to opt-out of the sharing of your personal information to prevent the targeting of ads across different businesses, websites, apps, or services.

CCPA-covered businesses must provide a link to allow you to exercise this right. It is usually found at the bottom of a webpage and will say “do not sell or share my personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Sometimes businesses offer privacy choices through a pop-up window or form

To opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information, click on the link or use the toggle provided by the business and follow the directions. Doing this on every website you visit can feel burdensome, but to ease the burden you can automatically select your privacy preferences for every website by using an opt-out preference signal, or OOPS for short.

An OOPS is a user-friendly and straightforward way for consumers to automatically exercise their right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information with the businesses they interact with online. An OOPS, such as the Global Privacy Control. It can either be a setting on your internet browser or a browser extension. With an OOPS, consumers do not have to submit individual requests to opt-out of sale or sharing with each business.

Right to Limit

Californians also have the right to direct businesses to limit the use and disclosure of their sensitive personal information.

Businesses covered under the CCPA must provide a link on their website that allows you to request the limiting of your SPI, if they plan on using it in certain ways. That link will also typically be at the bottom of a webpage and will say: “limit the use of my sensitive personal information” or “your privacy choices.” Once you send this request, the business must stop using your SPI for anything other than to:

  • Provide requested goods or services
  • Ensure security and integrity
  • Prevent fraud
  • Maintain system functionality
  • Comply with legal obligations

Bringing it Together

In summary, the CCPA gives you the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of your personal information and gives you additional rights to further limit the use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information.

When you exercise these rights together, you exert greater control in protecting your personal data which is important for your identity, safety, and financial health.

If you are on a business’s website and you can’t find the links to exercise your rights, remember to check their privacy policy. The privacy policy should tell you how you can exercise your rights under the law.

If you find your rights being violated, you can submit a complaint to CalPrivacy.

Next in the LOCKED series, we will explore the right to correct and right to know. Follow us on social media to get live updates or check back in one week for the next post.

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Targeted Advertising

Used to deliver advertising that is more relevant to you and your interests. May also be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Advertising networks usually place them with the website operator’s permission.

Personalization

Allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your username, language, or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, a website may provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing data about your general location.

Analytics

Help the website operator understand how its website performs, how visitors interact with the site, and whether there may be technical issues.

Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information

You also have the right to limit how we use sensitive personal information (such as precise geolocation, financial data, etc.).

Your preference has been saved. We will not sell or share your personal information.