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 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
7 metro areas in Colorado publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 33,660 jobs. The three largest employers of waiters and waitresses are Denver-Aurora-Centennial (20,750 jobs), Colorado Springs (4,330 jobs), Fort Collins-Loveland (2,740 jobs), which hold 82.7% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $39,650 to $49,870 a year, against $44,860 for the whole state and $35,230 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $35,230 a year for waiters and waitresses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $18,100 and the highest-paid tenth over $64,720). Employment is projected to change by +2.0% between 2025 and 2035, with about 423,100 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: No formal educational credential; on-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training. 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.
Waiters and waitresses in Colorado: the highest median pay is in the Boulder, CO area ($49,870 a year); the most jobs are in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area (20,750). Statewide the median is $44,860 with 40,680 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 | 2,670 | $49,870 | $33,800 | $80,920 | 0.95 | 47% | 105.2 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 2,740 | $47,360 | $30,800 | $77,380 | 1.11 | 43% | 101.1 |
| Greeley, CO | 1,300 | $46,480 | $30,800 | $77,810 | 0.75 | 40% | 100.2 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 4,330 | $46,230 | $30,800 | $78,220 | 0.94 | 44% | 100.7 |
| Pueblo, CO | 850 | $45,500 | $30,800 | $77,200 | 0.94 | 29% | 91.8 |
| Grand Junction, CO | 1,020 | $43,730 | $30,800 | $76,270 | 1.04 | 32% | 95.5 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 20,750 | $39,650 | $31,010 | $78,380 | 0.88 | 57% | 105.8 |
National page: Waiters and waitresses →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 $49,870 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area, with 20,750 jobs.