Denver guide

What is the Denver job market like?

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This article is part of our Moving to Denver guide.

Last updated October 19, 2026

The Denver job market is big and well paid, but it is growing slowly in 2026, so plan on a longer search than you might expect. The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro had 4.6% unemployment in August 2026 (preliminary) and about 1.65 million jobs, almost the same number as a year earlier. The average wage across all jobs was $39.28 an hour in May 2025, well above the national average of $33.54. Health care, education, hospitality and construction are adding jobs, while tech, finance and manufacturing are shrinking.

Metro unemployment4.6%BLS, Aug. 2026 (preliminary)
Average wage, all jobs$39.28/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025
Denver minimum wage$19.29/hrCity of Denver, 2026
Average commute24.9 minDenver city, ACS 2024

How easy is it to find a job in Denver right now?

It is doable, but it is not a hot market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro unemployment rate at 4.6% in August 2026 (preliminary), with a labor force of about 1.74 million people. Total nonfarm jobs reached about 1,653,500, up just 0.1% from August 2025. In plain terms, the metro is holding steady, not adding many new jobs.

Growth depends a lot on your field. Here is how the main sectors changed over the 12 months to August 2026:

  • Growing: leisure and hospitality (+2.9%), education and health services (+2.8%), mining, logging and construction (+1.2%) and government (+0.9%).
  • Flat: professional and business services (+0.2%), the largest sector with about 318,900 jobs.
  • Shrinking: information, which includes much of tech and media (-7.9%), financial activities (-2.9%), manufacturing (-2.6%), other services (-2.0%) and trade, transportation and utilities (-1.3%).

If you work in tech or finance, try to line up a job before you move. If you work in health care, the trades or hospitality, you will likely find openings faster.

How much do jobs in Denver pay?

Denver pays more than most of the country. In May 2025, the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey found that the metro’s average wage was higher than the U.S. average in every major job group. The table shows average (mean) hourly wages for a range of groups. The annual figure is the hourly wage times 2,080 hours, which is full-time work all year, rounded.

Job group (Denver metro)Mean hourly wageAbout per year
All occupations$39.28$81,700
Management$83.66$174,000
Legal$78.85$164,000
Computer and mathematical$62.33$129,600
Architecture and engineering$54.87$114,100
Healthcare practitioners and technical$52.65$109,500
Business and financial operations$49.85$103,700
Education and library$38.36$79,800
Installation, maintenance and repair$33.86$70,400
Sales$33.40$69,500
Construction and extraction$33.00$68,600
Transportation and material moving$30.47$63,400
Office and administrative support$27.91$58,100
Healthcare support$22.43$46,700
Food preparation and serving$21.46$44,600

Compare these numbers with the MIT Living Wage Calculator. It says one adult with no children needs $26.63 an hour, or $55,384 a year before taxes, to cover basic costs in Denver County. Most job groups clear that bar on average. Food service, health care support, cleaning and personal care jobs average below it. Keep in mind that these are averages, so many people in each group earn less. For a full breakdown of what that money has to cover, see how much it costs to live in Denver.

What are the biggest industries and employers in Denver?

Denver’s economy does not rely on one industry. These are the main ones to know:

  • Government, with about 228,200 metro jobs in August 2026 (BLS). This includes federal, state, city and school jobs. Denver is the state capital.
  • Health care and education, with about 227,700 jobs and some of the fastest growth over the past year (BLS).
  • Professional and business services, the biggest sector at about 318,900 jobs. It covers fields like accounting, law, engineering, consulting and staffing.
  • Aerospace and defense. Colorado has more than 61,000 aerospace and defense jobs, and metro Denver holds the largest share of them, according to a 2026 Colorado Chamber Foundation report covered by the Denver Gazette and Axios. Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, York Space Systems and Denver-based Voyager Technologies are among the names in the industry. The same reports warn that growth has slowed and other states are competing hard.
  • Energy and mining. Gold miner Newmont and oil and gas producer Ovintiv both have their headquarters in Denver.
  • Tech. Tech jobs are spread across many sectors, but the information sector, which includes software publishing and telecom, lost about 7.9% of its jobs over the past year (BLS).

For a longer list of employers, the Denver Business Journal’s 2026 ranking covers 661 employers in the seven-county metro, which together have more than 260,000 workers.

Which Fortune 500 companies are based in the Denver area?

Axios Denver reported that eight Colorado companies made the 2025 Fortune 500 list, which ranks companies by revenue (the latest count we could confirm). All eight are in the Denver metro, and four are in Denver itself:

  • Denver: Newmont, DaVita, VF Corp. and Ovintiv.
  • Suburbs: Arrow Electronics (Centennial), EchoStar (Englewood), Ball Corp. (Westminster) and QVC Group (Englewood).

That count is down from nine in 2024 and ten in 2023. A big headquarters is useful for corporate jobs. But most Denver workers have jobs at hospitals, schools, government offices and small and mid-size firms.

What is the minimum wage in Denver in 2026?

Denver’s minimum wage is $19.29 an hour in 2026, up from $18.81 in 2025. Tipped food and beverage workers can be paid $16.27 an hour, as long as tips make up the rest. The city raises the rate every January 1 based on local inflation. The 2026 increase was 2.56%.

The rule applies to work done inside the City and County of Denver. In Aurora, Lakewood and other suburbs, check for a local rate. If there isn’t one, the Colorado minimum applies: $15.16 an hour in 2026. A full-time job at Denver’s minimum works out to about $40,100 a year, which is well below the MIT living wage for a single adult.

How long is the commute in Denver?

Commutes are moderate. The Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey puts the average one-way trip at 24.9 minutes for Denver residents. The average across the whole metro is 27.7 minutes. A job in the Denver Tech Center, Boulder or near the airport can mean a longer drive, so check the route before you sign a lease. Light rail and buses reach many job centers. Read how public transit works in Denver and whether you need a car before you choose a neighborhood.

How do you look for a job in Denver?

  1. Make a Connecting Colorado profile. It is the state’s official public job board, run through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. It matches your skills to open jobs and has a resume builder. The upgraded system now uses your email address to log in.
  2. Visit a Denver Workforce Center. The city runs free centers with job coaching, resume help, mock interviews and job fairs. Two of them are the Webb building at 201 W. Colfax Ave. downtown and Montbello at 4685 Peoria St. Hours are generally 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Check the city’s page for current hours and the airport location.
  3. Look at public employers directly. Government is one of the largest and steadiest sectors in the metro, and city, state, school and university jobs are posted on their own sites.
  4. Use the suburbs’ workforce centers too. Other counties in the metro run their own centers, and many jobs are outside the city limits.
  5. Search remotely first if you can. With job growth flat, a lined-up offer makes the move much less risky. Our Denver moving checklist covers the rest.

Once you know where you will work, our sister site, DenverApartmentBuildings.com, has a map of Denver apartment buildings to help you find one near your job.

Frequently asked questions about the job market in Denver

Is Denver a good city for jobs in 2026?

Pay is good: the metro average was $39.28 an hour in May 2025, against $33.54 nationally. But job growth is nearly flat and unemployment was 4.6% in August 2026, so expect competition, especially in tech and finance.

What salary do you need to live in Denver?

MIT’s Living Wage Calculator says a single adult with no children needs about $55,384 a year before taxes ($26.63 an hour) in Denver County. That covers basic costs only, with little room for savings.

Which industries are hiring in Denver?

In the year to August 2026, the fastest-growing sectors were leisure and hospitality, education and health services, construction and government. Information (which includes tech), finance and manufacturing lost jobs.

Is the minimum wage the same in Denver and its suburbs?

No. Denver’s 2026 minimum is $19.29 an hour. Colorado’s statewide minimum is $15.16, and some suburbs set their own rates, so check the city where you will work.

Sources

Go Big City Team
Author: Go Big City Team

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