Colorado's average software engineer salary of $150,940 places it above Texas ($136,450), Arizona ($132,530), and Utah ($129,860), but below Washington ($171,040) and California ($186,770). For employers hiring in Colorado, this means compensation expectations are moderate relative to the highest-cost tech markets. If you are competing for candidates who have offers from California or Washington, expect to address that gap directly in your offer structure.
Software engineer salary in Colorado (2026)
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The average software engineer salary in Colorado is $150,940 per year. A small pool of very high earners pulls that average upward, which means the median of $96,480 gives employers a more reliable starting point for most hiring decisions. Colorado employs 43,320 software engineers, and the $54,460 gap between the mean and median reflects real variation in the candidate pool you will be evaluating. The statewide mean of $150,940 sits above the 90th percentile threshold of $102,000, which signals that a segment of highly compensated roles is pulling the average well beyond what most candidates in the market actually earn. Plan for a range rather than a single number when budgeting for a software engineer hire in Colorado, and anchor that range to the seniority and specialization of the role you are filling.
Metric / Value
Metric | Value |
Median Annual Salary | $96,480 |
Average Annual Salary | $150,940 |
vs. National Average | 1.9% above the national mean of $148,100 |
Data comes from the BLS OEWS and covers 43,320 employed software engineers across Colorado.
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Software engineer salary percentiles in Colorado
Percentile | Annual Salary |
10th Percentile | $58,000 |
25th Percentile | $66,000 |
75th Percentile | — |
90th Percentile | $102,000 |
When setting an offer for a software engineer in Colorado, note that the statewide mean of $150,940 exceeds the 90th percentile threshold of $102,000, which tells you that a concentrated group of highly compensated roles is pulling the average far above what the published percentile range captures. For most hires, anchoring your offer between $58,000 and $102,000 reflects where the bulk of the market sits, but competing for senior or specialized talent may require budgeting well above that range.
Software engineer salary by city in Colorado
City | Average Annual Salary |
Boulder | $166,480 |
Denver | $149,400 |
Greeley | $147,060 |
Fort Collins | $144,720 |
Colorado Springs | $144,420 |
Location meaningfully affects what you will need to offer a software engineer in Colorado, so budget accordingly based on where the role is based. Boulder commands the highest average at $166,480, which is $17,080 more than Denver at $149,400 and over $22,000 more than Colorado Springs at $144,420. If your team is distributed across multiple Colorado metros, expect to set different compensation bands by location rather than applying a single statewide figure.
How Colorado compares to other states
State | Average Annual Salary | Median Annual Salary |
Colorado | $150,940 | $96,480 |
California | $186,770 | $105,060 |
Washington | $171,040 | $96,810 |
Texas | $136,450 | $82,600 |
Arizona | $132,530 | $81,740 |
Utah | $129,860 | $77,810 |
Colorado sits in the middle of the peer group, making it a more cost-effective market than California or Washington but a more expensive one than Texas, Arizona, or Utah. California's average of $186,770 runs $35,830 above Colorado's $150,940, while Utah's average of $129,860 runs $21,080 below it. If you are hiring remotely and weighing where to anchor compensation, Colorado offers a meaningful cost advantage over the two highest-paying states in this comparison.
Frequently asked questions about software engineer salary in Colorado
How does Colorado compare to other states for software engineer salary?
What do the top-earning software engineers make in Colorado?
The 90th percentile threshold for software engineers in Colorado is $102,000, but the statewide mean of $150,940 sits above that figure, reflecting that a segment of highly compensated roles pulls the average well beyond the published threshold. When competing for senior or specialized talent in Colorado, you should expect candidates at that level to have salary expectations that exceed $102,000 by a meaningful margin. Budget accordingly and use the mean as a reference point for what the upper end of the market actually looks like.
What is the salary range for a software engineer in Colorado?
The published percentile range for software engineers in Colorado runs from $58,000 at the 10th percentile to $102,000 at the 90th percentile. Keep in mind that the statewide mean of $150,940 exceeds the 90th percentile, which tells you that a portion of the market sits well above $102,000. When building a compensation band, use the percentile range as a baseline for most hires and plan for higher figures when the role requires senior or specialized skills.
What is the average software engineer salary in Colorado?
The average software engineer salary in Colorado is $150,940 per year, which sits 1.9% above the national mean of $148,100. The median of $96,480 is the more grounded figure for most hiring decisions, since a small group of high earners pulls the average upward. Use the median as your anchor when setting offers for mid-level roles, and treat the mean as a signal of what the upper end of the market commands.
Software engineer salary by state
Data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2025, SOC code 15-1252 (Software Developers).
Disclaimer
Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.
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