The top 25 occupations in Colorado ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Colorado cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Colorado-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $595,800 | $774,500 | $983,100 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $490,200 | $637,200 | $808,800 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $448,700 | $583,300 | $740,300 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $316,000 | $410,800 | $521,500 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $269,500 | $350,300 | $444,600 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $244,400 | $317,700 | $403,300 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $232,200 | $301,800 | $383,100 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $231,100 | $300,400 | $381,300 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $211,400 | $274,900 | $348,900 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $206,500 | $268,500 | $340,700 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $199,100 | $258,900 | $328,600 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $194,200 | $252,500 | $320,500 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $190,500 | $247,700 | $314,300 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $190,500 | $247,700 | $314,300 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $188,700 | $245,300 | $311,300 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $186,800 | $242,900 | $308,300 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $185,500 | $241,100 | $306,100 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $185,300 | $240,900 | $305,700 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $183,700 | $238,800 | $303,100 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $181,900 | $236,500 | $300,200 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $180,000 | $234,000 | $297,000 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $178,000 | $231,400 | $293,700 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $176,300 | $229,100 | $290,800 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $174,600 | $226,900 | $288,000 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $174,600 | $226,900 | $288,000 |
In Colorado, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $595,800 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $983,100.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Colorado's cost-of-living index. The ranking shows median annual base pay (excluding bonuses, equity, and benefits).
Most of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in Colorado typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require advanced degrees (medicine, law, engineering specializations). Trades roles are notable exceptions — they appear in some state rankings without requiring four-year degrees.