Colorado
Across all occupations in Colorado, the median wage is $59,800 a year ($28.75 an hour) and the mean $77,190, May 2025. That median is +17% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 2,873,900 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is orthodontists; the largest is fast food and counter workers.
All occupations: Colorado vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Colorado | Hourly | $17.48 | $21.00 | $28.75 | $44.82 | $65.54 | $37.11 | 2,873,900 |
| Annual | $36,350 | $43,680 | $59,800 | $93,220 | $136,330 | $77,190 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
Minimum wage in Colorado
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the Colorado minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in Colorado
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orthodontists | $416,000 | $200.00 | 160 |
| 2 | Dermatologists | $398,810 | $191.74 | 260 |
| 3 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $385,410 | $185.30 | 410 |
| 4 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $360,820 | $173.47 | ** |
| 5 | Neurologists | $356,250 | $171.27 | 120 |
| 6 | Radiologists | $344,270 | $165.52 | 500 |
| 7 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $307,490 | * | 5,830 |
| 8 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $299,990 | $144.23 | 450 |
| 9 | Physicians, All Other | $298,320 | $143.42 | 1,990 |
| 10 | Physicians, Pathologists | $294,510 | $141.59 | 50 |
| 11 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $288,050 | $138.49 | 100 |
| 12 | Psychiatrists | $266,370 | $128.06 | 270 |
| 13 | Family Medicine Physicians | $265,560 | $127.67 | 2,700 |
| 14 | Chief Executives | $213,370 | $102.58 | ** |
| 15 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $199,420 | $95.87 | 11,510 |
| 16 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $198,790 | $95.57 | 620 |
| 17 | Pediatricians, General | $196,440 | $94.44 | 570 |
| 18 | Dentists, All Other Specialists | $186,640 | $89.73 | 70 |
| 19 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $183,810 | $88.37 | 4,900 |
| 20 | Marketing Managers | $182,730 | $87.85 | 6,010 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Colorado
Occupation groups in Colorado
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $149,760 | $165,160 | 157,850 | 54.93 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $128,090 | $128,910 | 136,010 | 47.33 |
| Legal | $119,510 | $162,080 | 26,740 | 9.30 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $103,280 | $113,860 | 72,990 | 25.40 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $98,030 | $111,430 | 154,720 | 53.84 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $93,410 | $100,650 | 264,100 | 91.90 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $84,960 | $99,060 | 35,940 | 12.50 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $65,810 | $86,930 | 41,090 | 14.30 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $62,570 | $68,080 | 113,320 | 39.43 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $62,170 | $71,910 | 155,440 | 54.09 |
| Construction and Extraction | $61,190 | $65,880 | 135,410 | 47.12 |
| Community and Social Service | $61,160 | $66,600 | 56,770 | 19.75 |
| Protective Service | $56,930 | $65,990 | 65,970 | 22.96 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $51,050 | $56,100 | 301,320 | 104.85 |
| Production | $49,710 | $56,410 | 94,160 | 32.77 |
| Sales and Related | $47,440 | $65,010 | 296,260 | 103.09 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $47,060 | $58,350 | 217,920 | 75.83 |
| Healthcare Support | $44,560 | $46,000 | 106,580 | 37.08 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $42,180 | $44,960 | 88,630 | 30.84 |
| Personal Care and Service | $40,440 | $46,600 | 77,640 | 27.02 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $40,190 | $46,080 | 5,200 | 1.81 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $37,810 | $43,540 | 269,820 | 93.89 |
Metropolitan areas in Colorado
7 metropolitan areas touch Colorado, plus 3 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | Metropolitan | $69,580 | $33.45 | 192,390 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | Metropolitan | $52,710 | $25.34 | 316,060 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | Metropolitan | $62,320 | $29.96 | 1,609,350 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | Metropolitan | $55,310 | $26.59 | 169,430 |
| Grand Junction, CO | Metropolitan | $48,510 | $23.32 | 67,170 |
| Greeley, CO | Metropolitan | $55,070 | $26.48 | 119,540 |
| Pueblo, CO | Metropolitan | $48,940 | $23.53 | 61,780 |
| Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $48,840 | $23.48 | 70,160 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $50,170 | $24.12 | 108,360 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $54,080 | $26.00 | 132,270 |
Occupation pages for Colorado
63 occupations have a dedicated Colorado page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $97,030
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $61,280
- Bartenders $38,170
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $54,000
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $92,520
- Carpenters $62,830
- Cashiers $36,870
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $199,420
- Computer User Support Specialists $71,900
- Construction Laborers $47,900
- Cooks, Fast Food $36,900
- Cooks, Restaurant $41,600
- Customer Service Representatives $47,540
- Electricians $62,230
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $63,410
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $36,270
- Financial Managers $182,690
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $81,230
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $50,550
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $83,260
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $76,600
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $78,890
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $58,200
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $65,380
- Food Preparation Workers $38,960
- General and Operations Managers $131,840
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $61,500
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $38,540
- Human Resources Specialists $80,840
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $50,570
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $38,600
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $45,370
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $45,760
- Lawyers $168,520
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $73,880
- Light Truck Drivers $48,410
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $37,560
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $51,280
- Management Analysts $104,750
- Managers, All Other $171,140
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $93,050
- Medical Assistants $48,400
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $46,920
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $63,760
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $46,150
- Nursing Assistants $47,380
- Office Clerks, General $53,550
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $97,350
- Project Management Specialists $110,050
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $42,010
- Registered Nurses $100,260
- Retail Salespersons $37,950
- Sales Managers $180,850
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $79,810
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $79,250
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $72,900
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $48,690
- Security Guards $45,150
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $47,130
- Software Developers $138,390
- Stockers and Order Fillers $42,350
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $35,760
- Waiters and Waitresses $44,860
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for Colorado
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for Colorado. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Colorado estimates.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in Colorado.