Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
7 metro areas in Colorado publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 41,690 jobs. The three largest employers of software developers are Denver-Aurora-Centennial (27,010 jobs), Boulder (7,130 jobs), Colorado Springs (4,850 jobs), which hold 93.5% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $122,780 to $164,560 a year, against $138,390 for the whole state and $135,980 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $135,980 a year for software developers (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $82,460 and the highest-paid tenth over $214,670). Employment is projected to change by +10.2% between 2025 and 2035, with about 95,300 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Software developers in Colorado: the highest median pay is in the Boulder, CO area ($164,560 a year); the most jobs are in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area (27,010). Statewide the median is $138,390 with 43,320 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | 7,130 | $164,560 | $102,880 | $235,660 | 3.41 | 14% | 105.2 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 27,010 | $137,610 | $99,700 | $209,300 | 1.55 | 16% | 105.8 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 4,850 | $134,280 | $86,540 | $207,490 | 1.41 | 15% | 100.7 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 1,820 | $133,990 | $79,990 | $221,110 | 0.99 | 15% | 101.1 |
| Greeley, CO | 560 | $129,480 | $78,830 | $269,830 | 0.43 | 14% | 100.2 |
| Grand Junction, CO | 170 | $123,990 | $74,160 | $195,840 | 0.24 | 11% | 95.5 |
| Pueblo, CO | 150 | $122,780 | $74,370 | $196,500 | 0.23 | 11% | 91.8 |
National page: Software developers →Cities of Colorado
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Boulder, CO area, with a median of $164,560 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area, with 27,010 jobs.