City of Boulder reviewing options to enact its own minimum wage

(The Center Square) - The city of Boulder is reviewing whether it should enact its own minimum wage law and one of the options would double the state’s minimum wage to $28.98 by 2035.

Colorado’s state minimum wage is $14.42 an hour this year. Some of the options under consideration include keeping the state minimum wage and increasing every year by the rate of inflation. Other options include raising the minimum wage from $21.84 an hour to $25 an hour by 2030.

“Under all scenarios, teenagers and young adults are most likely to be affected by job loss due to a minimum wage increase,” a city analysis reported.

Shannon Aulabaugh, communications manager for the city of Boulder, said in an email to The Center Square that the city council would review its options at the Aug. 22 meeting and then direct staff on what was to follow.

The state law was changed in 2019 and local municipalities were allowed to set their own minimum wages. Denver, Edgewater and Boulder County are the only local units of government to set their own minimum wages, according to the city of Boulder. Denver’s minimum wage is $17.29 an hour, Edgewater’s is $15.05 and Boulder County’s is $15.69 in 2024.