Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Colorado | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $138,390 | $142,991 | -3% |
| Median hourly wage | $66.53 | $68.75 | -3% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $134,229.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | $145,497 | $104,500 | $192,500 | 115 |
| Colorado Springs | $132,270 | $95,000 | $175,000 | 105 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in Colorado is $138,390, or about $66.53 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. Colorado is -3% below the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in Colorado typically earn from $104,500 depending on the city and employer.
With 43,320 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $138,390, Colorado offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 51 of the 738 occupations reported in Colorado — higher than 93% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Database Architects at $154,560, Computer Occupations, All Other at $139,580, Computer Network Architects at $139,230 — all figures are median annual wages for Colorado.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Colorado levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 105.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 51 of the 738 occupations reported in Colorado — higher than 93% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Colorado | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Database Architects | $154,560 | $1,950 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $139,580 | $11,800 |
| Computer Network Architects | $139,230 | $16,380 |
| Information Security Analysts | $135,220 | $5,700 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $133,160 | $400 |
| Operations Research Analysts | $129,880 | $770 |
Colorado levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 105.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 738 occupations in Colorado.