Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act is Closing the Gender Pay Gap

Colorado is outpacing the national average in reducing the gender wage gap 

Since the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act was implemented in 2021, pay for women working full-time in Colorado has increased from 78 cents to 85 cents for every dollar paid to  similarly qualified men. 

In Colorado, the gender wage gap is closing because women are being paid more - not because men are being paid less. Men experienced no decrease in their pay since 2021, even when accounting for inflation. 

Colorado is outpacing the national average in reducing the gender wage gap. California and Washington, which followed Colorado’s lead and passed pay transparency laws in 2023, are seeing similar results. 

Colorado’s shrinking pay gap means that women working full-time earn an average of $2,952 more per year. That covers two months of rent or full-time child care. While more data are needed to compare the impacts for women across racial and ethnic groups, the first three years of implementation data show these gains for women are distributed equally between the Front Range and the rest of the state.

Read the Research Brief (in English & Spanish)

Read the News Release 

Read the Methodology

Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work

In 2023, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado co-led the Equal Pay Coalition with 9to5 Colorado and the Colorado Women's Bar Association, which helped to pass the Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The Coalition was comprised of more than 20 organizations and individuals committed to advancing pay equity, fairness, and transparency in all Colorado workplaces. We continue to work together to ensure the law is implemented fairly. The Women's Foundation has created guides for employers, workers, and job seekers to understand equal pay laws in Colorado - and to share them with anyone who will benefit. 

History of Pay Transparency in Colorado

In 2019, Colorado passed the groundbreaking Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The passage of Senate Bill 19-085 was the culmination of years of research, advocacy, and collaboration that first started with legislation introduced to close the gender pay gap by State Sen. Polly Baca and State Rep. Arie Taylor in 1980. Now, one in four workers across the country are covered by pay transpareny laws.

In 2023, Colorado further cemented its status as a national leader in pay transparency when it passed the Ensure Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, which strengthened the original law and provided clarification to employers. 

Read & Watch the News Coverage

CBS Weekend	CBS Saturday Morning
Barry Petersen takes a look at the modern pay discrepancy and what some states are doing to combat it.	It's the 50th anniversary of the Federal Equal Pay Law, and yet full pay equity doesn't exist.
Watch Now	Watch Now

Real Talk on Denver7	CBS Colorado
Louise Myrland, WFCO vice president of programs, is featured on a Real Talk episode about pay inequity.	Alison Friedman Phillips, WFCO director of programs, policy, & advocacy, explains why every woman deserves equal pay.
Watch Now	Watch Now

2024 Equal Pay Day Calendar

Started by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996, the goal of Equal Pay Days is to raise awareness about the ongoing gender pay gap and how the pay gap varies significantly among different communities, particularly for women of color.

• March 12: All Women’s Equal Pay Day
• April 3: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day
• June 13: LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day
• July 9: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day
• Aug. 7: Moms’ Equal Pay Day
• Aug. 28: Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day
• Oct. 3: Latina Equal Pay Day
• Nov. 21: Native Women’s Equal Pay Day

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado will relentlessly continue to pursue pay equity, fairness, and transparency in all Colorado workplaces until ALL Colorado women thrive.