• February 17th, 2025
  • Monday, 07:00:20 AM

New Year Brings New Minimum Wage for Workers and Employers


Starting January 1, 2025, the minimum wage in the City and County of Denver will increase from $18.29 per hour to $18.81 per hour. (Photo: AdobeStock)

 

Posted Jan. 2, 2025

 

Starting January 1, 2025, the minimum wage in the City and County of Denver will increase from $18.29 per hour to $18.81 per hour.

 

While the Denver Department of Finance establishes the city’s minimum wage, Denver Labor, a team within the Denver Auditor’s Office, is responsible for enforcing wage laws. The increase in the minimum wage is based on the city’s annual cost-of-living adjustments and is designed to reflect changes in inflation and the cost of living in Denver.

 

Industries most at risk for wage theft include construction, gig economy companies, restaurants, beauty services, valet services, home care, and businesses along Denver’s borders.

 

“We understand that these changes can impact both workers and businesses, so we provide a variety of resources to ensure everyone is well-informed,” said Auditor O’Brien. “Denver’s wage protections are some of the strongest in the United States, and we want to get the word out that we are here to help,” Auditor O’Brien said.

 

Denver Labor educates workers, employers, and the community, while enforcing Denver’s wage and hour laws fairly and thoroughly, using the most effective tools and strategies available.

 

New bilingual advertisements informing people about the 2025 minimum wage change will soon appear across the Denver metro in grocery stores, bus stops, billboards, as well as online. Employers are also required by ordinance to share a bilingual work site poster, which our office provides.

 

We appear at various events, meet with community groups, and communicate directly with workers and businesses. Through comprehensive wage and hour enforcement and education, we deter wage theft, reduce the harms of poverty, and expand economic justice.

 

Research this year from Rutgers University shows tens of thousands of workers in the Denver metro area are paid below the minimum wage each year. Rutgers estimates the scope of the problem is much larger than previously known; their research estimates that minimum wage violations in the Denver metro area cost underpaid workers as much as $656 million in total, while the average affected worker loses approximately $3,000.

 

“Our office takes on the responsibility to ensure workers are paid what they are owed,” said Matthew Fritz-Mauer, Denver Labor Executive Director. “If workers think they’ve had their wages stolen, they should call us, and we’ll enforce their rights. We’ve recovered millions of dollars in restitution in recent years.”

 

Denver Labor set a record in 2024 with $2,070,153.02 in restitution returned to 4,505 people, which was an increase of more than 1,000 affected employees from the previous year. Of that restitution amount, $1,019,547.84 involved underpayments for people who were paid less than minimum wage. $1,050,605.18 was recovered in prevailing wage cases. Our ongoing list of resolved restitution cases is available at DenverGov.org/Restitution.

 

Employers may reduce their minimum wage obligation up to $3.02 per hour for qualified food and beverage workers, as long as those workers receive that amount in actual tips. To claim the full tip credit, employers must keep documentation of the tips received.

 

Denver Labor has a minimum wage calculator online at DenverGov.org/MinimumWage. It’s a tool to help employees confirm they are receiving Denver’s minimum wage.