A complete 2026 pay reference for Colorado: 100 occupations across tech, healthcare, finance, trades, and more, ranked by median annual salary.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for detailed percentiles, experience tiers, and metro breakdown.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $595,800 | $452,800 | $774,500 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $490,200 | $372,500 | $637,200 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $448,700 | $341,000 | $583,300 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $316,000 | $240,200 | $410,800 |
| 5 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $269,500 | $204,800 | $350,300 |
| 6 | Investment Banker | Finance | $244,400 | $185,700 | $317,700 |
| 7 | Dentist | Healthcare | $232,200 | $176,500 | $301,800 |
| 8 | AI Engineer | Technology | $231,100 | $175,600 | $300,400 |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $211,400 | $160,700 | $274,900 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $206,500 | $156,900 | $268,500 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $199,100 | $151,300 | $258,900 |
| 12 | IT Manager | Technology | $194,200 | $147,600 | $252,500 |
| 13 | Controller | Finance | $190,500 | $144,800 | $247,700 |
| 14 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $190,500 | $144,800 | $247,700 |
| 15 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $188,700 | $143,400 | $245,300 |
| 16 | Product Manager | Technology | $186,800 | $142,000 | $242,900 |
| 17 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $185,500 | $141,000 | $241,100 |
| 18 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $185,300 | $140,800 | $240,900 |
| 19 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $183,700 | $139,600 | $238,800 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $181,900 | $138,300 | $236,500 |
| 21 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $180,000 | $136,800 | $234,000 |
| 22 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $178,000 | $135,300 | $231,400 |
| 23 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $176,300 | $134,000 | $229,100 |
| 24 | Data Engineer | Technology | $174,600 | $132,700 | $226,900 |
| 25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $174,600 | $132,700 | $226,900 |
| 26 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $171,300 | $130,200 | $222,700 |
| 27 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $169,600 | $128,900 | $220,500 |
| 28 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $167,700 | $127,400 | $218,000 |
| 29 | Software Engineer | Technology | $166,400 | $126,500 | $216,300 |
| 30 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $165,100 | $125,500 | $214,600 |
| 31 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $163,800 | $124,500 | $213,000 |
| 32 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $163,800 | $124,500 | $213,000 |
| 33 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $162,300 | $123,300 | $210,900 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $160,400 | $121,900 | $208,600 |
| 35 | Backend Developer | Technology | $159,800 | $121,400 | $207,700 |
| 36 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $157,400 | $119,600 | $204,600 |
| 37 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $157,300 | $119,600 | $204,500 |
| 38 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $153,700 | $116,800 | $199,800 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $151,400 | $115,100 | $196,900 |
| 40 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $146,500 | $111,300 | $190,400 |
| 41 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $145,000 | $110,200 | $188,600 |
| 42 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $139,300 | $105,900 | $181,100 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $139,000 | $105,700 | $180,700 |
| 44 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $137,700 | $104,600 | $179,000 |
| 45 | College Professor | Education | $136,700 | $103,900 | $177,700 |
| 46 | School Principal | Education | $136,700 | $103,900 | $177,700 |
| 47 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $134,100 | $101,900 | $174,300 |
| 48 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $134,100 | $101,900 | $174,300 |
| 49 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $132,800 | $100,900 | $172,600 |
| 50 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $131,600 | $100,000 | $171,000 |
| 51 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $131,600 | $100,000 | $171,100 |
| 52 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $130,300 | $99,100 | $169,400 |
| 53 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $130,300 | $99,100 | $169,400 |
| 54 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $129,100 | $98,100 | $167,800 |
| 55 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $126,600 | $96,200 | $164,600 |
| 56 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $126,600 | $96,200 | $164,600 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $125,400 | $95,300 | $163,000 |
| 58 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $123,800 | $94,100 | $161,000 |
| 59 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $122,800 | $93,300 | $159,700 |
| 60 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $121,600 | $92,400 | $158,100 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $120,500 | $91,600 | $156,600 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $117,900 | $89,600 | $153,300 |
| 63 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $113,500 | $86,300 | $147,600 |
| 64 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $110,900 | $84,300 | $144,200 |
| 65 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $110,300 | $83,800 | $143,400 |
| 66 | Animator | Creative & Media | $108,200 | $82,200 | $140,600 |
| 67 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $107,800 | $81,900 | $140,100 |
| 68 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $105,300 | $80,000 | $136,900 |
| 69 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $102,800 | $78,100 | $133,600 |
| 70 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $100,600 | $76,500 | $130,800 |
| 71 | Sales Representative | Sales | $96,800 | $73,600 | $125,900 |
| 72 | Police Officer | Public Service | $94,900 | $72,100 | $123,400 |
| 73 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $92,900 | $70,600 | $120,700 |
| 74 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $92,000 | $69,900 | $119,600 |
| 75 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $87,700 | $66,700 | $114,000 |
| 76 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $86,700 | $65,900 | $112,700 |
| 77 | High School Teacher | Education | $86,100 | $65,400 | $111,900 |
| 78 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $86,100 | $65,400 | $111,900 |
| 79 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $85,100 | $64,700 | $110,700 |
| 80 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $83,600 | $63,500 | $108,700 |
| 81 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $83,600 | $63,500 | $108,700 |
| 82 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $83,600 | $63,500 | $108,700 |
| 83 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $83,500 | $63,500 | $108,600 |
| 84 | School Counselor | Education | $81,000 | $61,600 | $105,300 |
| 85 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $80,000 | $60,800 | $104,000 |
| 86 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $79,200 | $60,200 | $103,000 |
| 87 | Firefighter | Public Service | $78,500 | $59,600 | $102,000 |
| 88 | Paralegal | Legal | $77,700 | $59,100 | $101,000 |
| 89 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $77,400 | $58,800 | $100,600 |
| 90 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $77,400 | $58,800 | $100,600 |
| 91 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $76,200 | $57,900 | $99,100 |
| 92 | Social Worker | Public Service | $75,900 | $57,700 | $98,700 |
| 93 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $74,800 | $56,900 | $97,300 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $71,300 | $54,200 | $92,700 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $67,100 | $51,000 | $87,200 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $67,100 | $51,000 | $87,200 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $59,000 | $44,800 | $76,700 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $57,700 | $43,800 | $74,900 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $56,800 | $43,100 | $73,800 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $50,100 | $38,100 | $65,200 |
→ See top 25 highest-paying jobs in Colorado (with growth outlook)
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