Colorado Springs Minimum Wage Rises to $15.71 on Jan. 1, 2027: What Changes

Published: September 25, 2026 | By LocalJobPage Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The Colorado Springs minimum wage goes up on January 1, and nobody at City Hall had to vote on it. Colorado's constitution ties the state floor to inflation every year, and the state labor department has set the 2027 number at $15.71 an hour. Because neither the city nor El Paso County has its own wage ordinance, that state figure is the legal floor from Monument to Fountain, and from Manitou Springs out to Falcon.

Colorado's minimum wage rises 55 cents to $15.71 an hour on January 1, 2027, and the tipped minimum rises to $12.69. In the Springs, the state rate is the only one that applies.

Ready to search? Skip straight to the job links and start looking now →

Standard minimum, 2026	$15.16 an hour
Standard minimum, 2027	$15.71 an hour
Tipped minimum, 2026	$12.14 an hour
Tipped minimum, 2027	$12.69 an hour
Takes effect	January 1, 2027
Local rate in Colorado Springs or El Paso County	None

💵 What the 2027 Colorado Minimum Wage Means in the Springs

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment announced the new rates on August 13. The raise is 3.6 percent, pegged to the federal Consumer Price Index for urban consumers, and it puts the state floor 41.5 percent above the $11.10 it sat at in 2019.

For someone working a full-time schedule at the floor, the 55-cent bump adds up to about $1,144 a year before taxes. A full year at $15.71 an hour comes to roughly $32,680.

Tipped workers get the same 55 cents. Employers can still count up to $3.02 an hour in tips toward the minimum, which is where the $12.69 figure comes from. If your tips don't bring you up to the full $15.71 for the hours you work, your employer owes you the difference.

Why Denver's Number Doesn't Apply Here

Colorado lets cities and counties set their own higher minimums, and a few near Denver have done it. The state's published list for 2027 puts Denver and Edgewater at $19.84 an hour and the City of Boulder at $18.17. Colorado Springs, Fountain and El Paso County have not adopted a local wage, so none of those higher numbers reach the Pikes Peak region.

That matters most to the people who drive I-25 for work. The address where you actually do the work sets your floor. Where you live and where the company is headquartered don't change it. A Briargate resident clocking in at a downtown Denver restaurant is covered by Denver's rate. The same worker at a restaurant on Powers Boulevard is covered by the state's.

The Floor Is Not the Going Rate

A minimum wage tells you what's illegal, not what's typical, and pay on Springs job postings varies widely by employer and role. The people who feel January 1 most are the ones earning at or just above $15.16 right now. Check the pay line on every posting before you apply, and check your first paycheck of 2027 to make sure the new rate made it onto your stub.

If it didn't, the state's Division of Labor Standards and Statistics takes wage complaints and answers questions at 303-318-8000.

🔎 Where to Aim Your Search

These searches cover the hourly work most affected by the floor, plus two employers that hire in volume across the Springs.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum wage in Colorado Springs in 2027?

$15.71 an hour, starting January 1, 2027. The tipped minimum is $12.69 an hour. Both are the statewide rates, since Colorado Springs has no local minimum wage.

Does El Paso County have its own minimum wage?

No. Among Colorado localities, only Denver, Edgewater, the City of Boulder and unincorporated Boulder County have adopted their own rates.

I live in the Springs but work in Denver. Which rate applies?

Denver's. The minimum is set by where the work is performed, so hours worked inside Denver are covered by Denver's rate of $19.84 in 2027.

Who do I call if my pay doesn't go up in January?

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Division of Labor Standards and Statistics, at 303-318-8000.

Find Work That Pays Above the Floor

January is a few months off, and the best raise is often a new job. Create a free LocalJobPage account to save searches and get new postings sent to you, then browse every current Colorado Springs job listing.

Employers: hiring hourly staff for 2027? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach Colorado Springs job seekers who are comparing pay right now.