Denver Minimum Wage Rising to $19.84/Hour in 2025, Squeezing Restaurant and Small Business Margins

NewsData.io · United States · Aug 16, 2026

Denver's minimum wage will increase to $19.84 per hour on January 1, 2025—a 2.85% rise tied to the consumer price index under a 2019 city ordinance. Local business owners are responding by cutting roles and absorbing costs rather than raising prices, while the Colorado Restaurant Association warns the hike will add tens of thousands of dollars in annual labor costs per restaurant. Critics also flag potential job reduction and automation as businesses adapt, a dynamic directly relevant to staffing firms placing workers in food service, retail, and light industrial sectors in the Denver metro.