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Jobs in Colorado: pay, hiring and what a paycheck buys

Colorado has 3,719 open job postings from 531 employers in our data. 59.3% list a pay range, the median posted pay is $137,500 a year, 7.9% are remote and 33.6% have been open more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).

What stands out

Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesMedian wage for all jobs divided by the local price level, October 2026. Higher means a paycheck goes further.Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesColoradoColorado Official median wage: $60,000 Price level: 103.1 Paycheck power: $58,000$58,000MinnesotaMinnesota Official median wage: $57,000 Price level: 98.6 Paycheck power: $57,500 Click for the full page$57,500MarylandMaryland Official median wage: $59,500 Price level: 105 Paycheck power: $56,500 Click for the full page$56,500WisconsinWisconsin Official median wage: $50,500 Price level: 94.1 Paycheck power: $53,500 Click for the full page$53,500MissouriMissouri Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 90.8 Paycheck power: $52,500 Click for the full page$52,500TennesseeTennessee Official median wage: $47,500 Price level: 91.9 Paycheck power: $51,500 Click for the full page$51,500IndianaIndiana Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 93.3 Paycheck power: $51,500 Click for the full page$51,500ArizonaArizona Official median wage: $50,000 Price level: 100.7 Paycheck power: $49,500 Click for the full page$49,500Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Colorado compared with similar-sized states: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
3,719open postings from 531 employers
59.3%list a pay range
$137,500median posted pay
$60,000official median wage, all jobs (BLS)
4.6%unemployment rate, 2026-08 (BLS)
100,000job openings, 2025-12 (BLS JOLTS), rate 3.3%

Pay transparency

Colorado requires employers to include a pay range in job postings (since 2021).

Metro areas in Colorado

Metro areaPostingsPay listedMedian posted pay
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO2,98863.7%$144,000
Colorado Springs, CO41051.4%$127,500
Boulder, CO30254.3%$145,000

What your paycheck buys here

Prices in Colorado run 3% above the national average, and housing runs 27% above it. The official median wage for all jobs is $60,000, which is worth $58,000 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $137,500 is worth $133,500.

What things cost here (US average = 100)BEA regional price parities for the Colorado metro area, 2024.What things cost here (US average = 100)All itemsAll items: 103.1 3% above the US average (100)103.1HousingHousing: 127.4 27% above the US average (100)127.4GoodsGoods: 98.7 1% below the US average (100)98.7UtilitiesUtilities: 85 15% below the US average (100)85Other servicesOther services: 99.6 0% below the US average (100)99.6Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)
The area's biggest jobs and what they payOfficial median annual wage for the ten largest occupations in Colorado, May 2025.The area's biggest jobs and what they payFast Food and Counter Workers (82k)Fast Food and Counter Workers 82,010 workers Median wage: $36,500$36,500Retail Salespersons (76.7k)Retail Salespersons 76,660 workers Median wage: $38,000$38,000Stockers and Order Fillers (55.5k)Stockers and Order Fillers 55,520 workers Median wage: $42,500$42,500Registered Nurses (54.5k)Registered Nurses 54,490 workers Median wage: $100,500$100,500Cashiers (51.7k)Cashiers 51,670 workers Median wage: $37,000$37,000Business Operations Specialist (45.7k)Business Operations Specialists, All Other 45,670 workers Median wage: $92,500$92,500Home Health and Personal Care (44.7k)Home Health and Personal Care Aides 44,650 workers Median wage: $38,500$38,500Software Developers (43.3k)Software Developers 43,320 workers Median wage: $138,500$138,500General and Operations Manager (41.9k)General and Operations Managers 41,870 workers Median wage: $132,000$132,000Waiters and Waitresses (40.7k)Waiters and Waitresses 40,680 workers Median wage: $45,000$45,000Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)
Official wage vs posted pay, same jobMedian official wage and median posted pay for the same jobs in Colorado.Official wage vs posted pay, same jobOfficial median wage (BLS)Median posted paySoftware developersSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $138,500 Median posted pay: $167,500 Median posted pay is 20.9% aboveSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $138,500 Median posted pay: $167,500 Median posted pay is 20.9% above$138,500 / $167,500HR specialistsHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $81,000 Median posted pay: $106,500 Median posted pay is 31.4% aboveHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $81,000 Median posted pay: $106,500 Median posted pay is 31.4% above$81,000 / $106,500Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Official median wage next to the median pay in open postings for the same jobs. Download this chart (SVG)
Open postings by industry of the employerPostings by employer industry in Colorado.Open postings by industry of the employerSoftware & TechnologySoftware & Technology 946 open postings 25.4% of this area's postings946Healthcare & Life SciencesHealthcare & Life Sciences 750 open postings 20.2% of this area's postings750Manufacturing & IndustrialManufacturing & Industrial 397 open postings 10.7% of this area's postings397Real Estate & ConstructionReal Estate & Construction 330 open postings 8.9% of this area's postings330Consulting & Professional ServicesConsulting & Professional Services 305 open postings 8.2% of this area's postings305Retail & E-commerceRetail & E-commerce 289 open postings 7.8% of this area's postings289OtherOther 228 open postings 6.1% of this area's postings228Financial ServicesFinancial Services 195 open postings 5.2% of this area's postings195Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)

Employers with the most openings

  1. Trueanomalyinc: 176 postings
  2. Ursamajor: 102 postings
  3. Greystar: 97 postings
  4. Judihealth: 96 postings
  5. Andurilindustries: 95 postings

Federal government hiring

672 federal job announcements open to the public list Colorado, with a median posted salary range midpoint of $93,500. Agencies hiring most: Department of the Air Force Headquarters (137), Veterans Health Administration (38), United States Space Force (30), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (29), Air Force Civilian Career Training (27). Source: USAJOBS.

How it compares with similar-sized states

StatePay listedPosted payOfficial wagePricesPaycheck power
Colorado59.3%$137,500$60,000103.1$58,000
Missouri17.5%$126,500$48,00090.8$52,500
Wisconsin16.4%$110,000$50,50094.1$53,500
Minnesota37.9%$105,000$57,00098.6$57,500
Maryland31.3%$120,000$59,500105$56,500
Indiana8.6%$101,500$48,00093.3$51,500
Arizona20.5%$120,000$50,000100.7$49,500

Compare any states side by side

Download this data

Free to use with credit: Second Summit, October 2026. Data (CSV) · Data (JSON) · paycheck power chart (SVG) · posted vs official chart (SVG) · prices chart (SVG) · industries chart (SVG) · biggest jobs chart (SVG)

Related pages

A posting that lists several states counts in each. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in Colorado. Methodology · All states (CSV)

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