Denver, Colorado Employment

Denver Employment

Employment and Industries in the Denver, Colorado Area

The Denver-Aurora metropolitan area has a very strong economy with substantial opportunities for business and professional growth. Colorado is home to seventeen Fortune 1000 company headquarters, sixteen of which are located in the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. The largest company with their corporate headquarters in the Denver area is Qwest Communications. Probably the most famous companies with their headquarters in the area are Molson Coors Brewing and the Sports Authority.

The Denver area has a very well educated work force. According to U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Denver ranks in the top 20 among American cities with a well educated work force. Almost 36% of the population has a college degree or higher. In 2005, Central Connecticut State University ranked Denver sixth among the most literate cities in the U.S. The Denver area was Number 12 in the Educational attainment category on Forbes magazine's 2005 list of "Best Places For Business and Careers".

Major business honors and awards received by the Denver metropolitan area include:

Number 14 on Entrepreneur magazine's 2005 list of "Hot Cities for Entrepreneurs", and number 8 for rapid growth in the same survey
Number 36 on Inc. magazine's 2006 list of "Best Cities for Doing Business" in the large cities category
Number 29 on Forbes magazine's 2005 list of "Best Places For Business and Careers" (out of the 150 largest metropolitan areas)
Number 13 on Expansion Management's 2005 list of "America's 50 Hottest Cities"
"5-Star Business Opportunity Metro" ranking from Expansion Management's 2005 Mayor's Challenge ranking of the "Top Business Opportunity Metros"

Major industries in the Denver metropolitan area include:

Aerospace
Bioscience
Energy
Financial Services
Info Tech/Software

Denver's central location makes it an ideal location for storage and distribution of goods to and from the Mountain States. The Denver-Aurora area also has a very large concentration of federal government institutions. The Denver metropolitan area has more federal workers than any other metropolitan area, with the exception of Washington D.C.

For business travelers, the Denver area is well served by the Denver International Airport (DIA). The Denver International Airport was voted the third best airport in the Americas and the third best airport in the world among airports with more than 25 million passengers annually in a 2006 AETRA passenger survey. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, the Denver International Airport is the fourth busiest airport in the nation (as of March 2006). DIA also ranked sixth among North American airports in the 499,999 or less tons class in Air Cargo World's most recent "Air Cargo Excellence Survey".

Business commuters will also appreciate the fact that Denver has the nation's fourth shortest commute time for workers at slightly over 35 minutes.

Companies with headquarters or major operations in the Denver metropolitan area include:

AIMCO
Ball
Ball Corporation
Centura Health
CH2M Hill
Denver Health & Hospital Authority
Echostar Communications
First Data Corp.
Frontier Airlines
IBM Corporation
Janus
Kaiser Permanente
Level 3 Communications
Liberty Global
Lockheed Martin Corporation
MDC Holdings
Molson Coors Brewing
Newmont Mining
ProLogis
Qwest Communications
Sports Authority
Sun Microsystems
TransMontaigne
United Airlines
Wells Fargo Bank West N.A.
Western Gas Resources

Major business organizations and associations in the Denver metropolitan area include:

The Denver Business Journal, the "Business Section" of the Denver Post, and "Business Section" of the Rocky Mountain News are all good sources of information on business and the economy in the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area.

Jobs in Denver

Rank	Title	Total Employees	Local Mean Salary (Per Year)	Local Mean Salary (Per hour)	National Growth % 2014-2024
1	All Occupations	1513360	$61,540	$29.58	100
2	Office and Administrative Support Occupations	182340	$45,200	$21.73	13.75
3	Sales and Related Occupations	163980	$55,650	$26.75	9.5
4	Business and Financial Operations Occupations	138430	$84,040	$40.4	5.35
5	Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations	137930	$28,810	$13.85	8.7
6	Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	119620	$44,660	$21.47	6.7
7	Computer and Mathematical Occupations	81090	$99,770	$47.96	3
8	Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	78650	$85,880	$41.29	5.85
9	Management Occupations	72890	$144,250	$69.35	6.35
10	Construction and Extraction Occupations	72020	$53,590	$25.76	4.6
11	Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	71440	$60,720	$29.19	6
12	Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	54720	$54,410	$26.16	3.75
13	Production Occupations	52450	$42,150	$20.26	5.6
14	Healthcare Support Occupations	51320	$34,990	$16.82	2.85
15	Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations	42720	$32,010	$15.39	3.6
16	Retail Salespersons	42600	$32,430	$15.59	2.7
17	Personal Care and Service Occupations	41120	$34,260	$16.47	4.65
18	Fast Food and Counter Workers	39060	$25,970	$12.48	2.45
19	Architecture and Engineering Occupations	38090	$93,920	$45.15	1.7
20	Project Management Specialists and Business Operations Specialists, All Other	33730	$89,560	$43.06	0.7
21	Protective Service Occupations	32650	$52,690	$25.33	2.2
22	Registered Nurses	29710	$77,770	$37.39	1.95
23	Customer Service Representatives	29320	$41,440	$19.92	1.75
24	Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	28740	$110,680	$53.21	0.65
25	Cashiers	27100	$28,110	$13.51	2.2
26	Waiters and Waitresses	25590	$25,650	$12.33	1.65
27	Stockers and Order Fillers	25390	$33,600	$16.15	1.25
28	Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	25050	$59,630	$28.67	1.8
29	Accountants and Auditors	24530	$85,980	$41.34	0.9
30	General and Operations Managers	22510	$145,880	$70.13	1.5
31	Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	21610	$78,880	$37.92	0.7
32	Office Clerks, General	21080	$44,150	$21.23	1.9
33	Community and Social Service Occupations	20500	$53,270	$25.61	1.75
34	Home Health and Personal Care Aides	19920	$27,900	$13.41	0
35	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	19660	$35,630	$17.13	1.8
36	Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive	19210	$42,080	$20.23	1.4
37	Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	18920	$86,210	$41.45	0.85
38	Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	18580	$29,370	$14.12	1.5
39	Cooks, Restaurant	17690	$29,680	$14.27	0.9
40	Legal Occupations	17090	$124,780	$59.99	0.8
41	Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	16180	$81,240	$39.06	0.8
42	Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	14550	$45,990	$22.11	1.05
43	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	14450	$51,760	$24.88	1.2
44	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	13030	$78,460	$37.72	0.45
45	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	12880	$66,090	$31.77	0.95
46	Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	11080	$35,310	$16.98	0.75
47	Nursing Assistants	11070	$35,570	$17.1	0.95
48	Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	10810	$43,550	$20.94	0.9
49	Lawyers	10780	$156,100	$75.05	0.5
50	Construction Laborers	10590	$38,630	$18.57	0.9
51	Security Guards	10360	$34,360	$16.52	0.7
52	Receptionists and Information Clerks	10270	$34,090	$16.39	0.7
53	First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	10120	$43,600	$20.96	0.6
54	Electricians	9740	$54,560	$26.23	0.45
55	Human Resources Specialists	9590	$73,060	$35.13	0.4
56	First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	9530	$55,900	$26.88	0.95
57	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	9300	$76,290	$36.68	0.4
58	Computer Occupations, All Other	9260	$111,280	$53.5	0.3
59	Computer User Support Specialists	9250	$62,390	$29.99	0.4
60	Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	9160	$26,940	$12.95	0.9
61	Light Truck Drivers	8940	$39,950	$19.21	0.6
62	Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents	8540	$67,760	$32.58	0.3
63	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	8320	$92,290	$44.37	0.2
64	Management Analysts	8290	$99,570	$47.87	0.55
65	Information and Record Clerks, All Other	7510	$46,500	$22.36	0.1
66	Carpenters	7500	$51,400	$24.71	0.6
67	Food Preparation Workers	7210	$29,320	$14.1	0.5
68	Bartenders	7000	$32,280	$15.52	0.4
69	Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks	6960	$37,590	$18.07	0.4
70	Civil Engineers	6940	$95,570	$45.95	0.2
71	Construction Managers	6850	$105,900	$50.91	0.3
72	Computer Systems Analysts	6710	$100,510	$48.32	0.4
73	Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	6690	$39,210	$18.85	0.4
74	Counter and Rental Clerks	6460	$41,670	$20.03	0.3
75	Childcare Workers	6330	$30,530	$14.68	0.7
76	Medical Assistants	6330	$38,680	$18.6	0.45
77	Amusement and Recreation Attendants	6300	$26,150	$12.57	0.2
78	Financial and Investment Analysts, Financial Risk Specialists, and Financial Specialists, All Other	6220	$97,200	$46.73	0.2
79	Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors	6180	$45,570	$21.91	0.2
80	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	6050	$60,460	$29.07	0.35
81	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	5860	$70,650	$33.96	0.25
82	Driver/Sales Workers	5780	$36,440	$17.52	0.3
83	Dishwashers	5700	$26,220	$12.61	0.3
84	Computer and Information Systems Managers	5680	$175,800	$84.52	0.3
85	Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop	5620	$26,980	$12.97	0.3
86	Personal Service Managers, All Other; Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling; and Managers, All Other	5540	$151,960	$73.06	0.7
87	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	5510	$74,990	$36.05	0.3
88	Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	5470	$51,700	$24.85	0.5
89	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	5270	$59,410	$28.56	0.3
90	Financial Managers	5260	$173,050	$83.2	0.4
91	Insurance Sales Agents	5160	$69,890	$33.6	0.3
92	Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists	5090	$37,240	$17.9	0.4
93	Computer Network Architects	5040	$124,780	$59.99	0.1
94	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	5010	$82,020	$39.43	0.4
95	Training and Development Specialists	4740	$75,370	$36.24	0.2
96	Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	4730	$33,650	$16.18	0.8
97	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	4690	$62,170	$29.89	0.3
98	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	4600	$53,040	$25.5	0.25
99	Compliance Officers	4590	$76,570	$36.81	0.2
100	Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment	4560	$29,630	$14.25	0.3

Source: 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov

Title	Mean Local Salary	Local Jobs
All Occupations	$61,540	1,513,360
Office and Administrative Support Occupations	$45,200	182,340
Sales and Related Occupations	$55,650	163,980
Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$84,040	138,430
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations	$28,810	137,930
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	$44,660	119,620
Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$99,770	81,090
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$85,880	78,650
Management Occupations	$144,250	72,890
Construction and Extraction Occupations	$53,590	72,020
Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$60,720	71,440
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	$54,410	54,720
Production Occupations	$42,150	52,450
Healthcare Support Occupations	$34,990	51,320
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations	$32,010	42,720
Retail Salespersons	$32,430	42,600
Personal Care and Service Occupations	$34,260	41,120
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$25,970	39,060
Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$93,920	38,090
Project Management Specialists and Business Operations Specialists, All Other	$89,560	33,730
Protective Service Occupations	$52,690	32,650
Registered Nurses	$77,770	29,710
Customer Service Representatives	$41,440	29,320
Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$110,680	28,740
Cashiers	$28,110	27,100
Waiters and Waitresses	$25,650	25,590
Stockers and Order Fillers	$33,600	25,390
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	$59,630	25,050
Accountants and Auditors	$85,980	24,530
General and Operations Managers	$145,880	22,510
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$78,880	21,610
Office Clerks, General	$44,150	21,080
Community and Social Service Occupations	$53,270	20,500
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$27,900	19,920
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$35,630	19,660
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive	$42,080	19,210
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	$86,210	18,920
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	$29,370	18,580
Cooks, Restaurant	$29,680	17,690
Legal Occupations	$124,780	17,090
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$81,240	16,180
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	$45,990	14,550
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$51,760	14,450
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$78,460	13,030
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$66,090	12,880
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	$35,310	11,080
Nursing Assistants	$35,570	11,070
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	$43,550	10,810
Lawyers	$156,100	10,780
Construction Laborers	$38,630	10,590

Title

Mean Local Salary

Local Jobs

All Occupations

$61,540

1,513,360

Office and Administrative Support Occupations

$45,200

182,340

Sales and Related Occupations

$55,650

163,980

Business and Financial Operations Occupations

$84,040

138,430

Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

$28,810

137,930

Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

$44,660

119,620

Computer and Mathematical Occupations

$99,770

81,090

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

$85,880

78,650

Management Occupations

$144,250

72,890

Construction and Extraction Occupations

$53,590

72,020

Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

$60,720

71,440

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

$54,410

54,720

Production Occupations

$42,150

52,450

Healthcare Support Occupations

$34,990

51,320

Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations

$32,010

42,720

Retail Salespersons

$32,430

42,600

Personal Care and Service Occupations

$34,260

41,120

Fast Food and Counter Workers

$25,970

39,060

Architecture and Engineering Occupations

$93,920

38,090

Project Management Specialists and Business Operations Specialists, All Other

$89,560

33,730

Protective Service Occupations

$52,690

32,650

Registered Nurses

$77,770

29,710

Customer Service Representatives

$41,440

29,320

Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

$110,680

28,740

Cashiers

$28,110

27,100

Waiters and Waitresses

$25,650

25,590

Stockers and Order Fillers

$33,600

25,390

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

$59,630

25,050

Accountants and Auditors

$85,980

24,530

General and Operations Managers

$145,880

22,510

Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel

$78,880

21,610

Office Clerks, General

$44,150

21,080

Community and Social Service Occupations

$53,270

20,500

Home Health and Personal Care Aides

$27,900

19,920

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand

$35,630

19,660

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

$42,080

19,210

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

$86,210

18,920

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

$29,370

18,580

Cooks, Restaurant

$29,680

17,690

Legal Occupations

$124,780

17,090

Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

$81,240

16,180

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$45,990

14,550

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

$51,760

14,450

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$78,460

13,030

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$66,090

12,880

Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers

$35,310

11,080

Nursing Assistants

$35,570

11,070

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

$43,550

10,810

Lawyers

$156,100

10,780

Construction Laborers

$38,630

10,590

Title	Mean Local Salary	Local Jobs
All Occupations	$61,540	1,513,360
Office and Administrative Support Occupations	$45,200	182,340
Sales and Related Occupations	$55,650	163,980
Business and Financial Operations Occupations	$84,040	138,430
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations	$28,810	137,930
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations	$44,660	119,620
Computer and Mathematical Occupations	$99,770	81,090
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations	$85,880	78,650
Management Occupations	$144,250	72,890
Construction and Extraction Occupations	$53,590	72,020
Educational Instruction and Library Occupations	$60,720	71,440
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations	$54,410	54,720
Production Occupations	$42,150	52,450
Healthcare Support Occupations	$34,990	51,320
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations	$32,010	42,720
Retail Salespersons	$32,430	42,600
Personal Care and Service Occupations	$34,260	41,120
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$25,970	39,060
Architecture and Engineering Occupations	$93,920	38,090
Project Management Specialists and Business Operations Specialists, All Other	$89,560	33,730
Protective Service Occupations	$52,690	32,650
Registered Nurses	$77,770	29,710
Customer Service Representatives	$41,440	29,320
Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$110,680	28,740
Cashiers	$28,110	27,100
Waiters and Waitresses	$25,650	25,590
Stockers and Order Fillers	$33,600	25,390
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations	$59,630	25,050
Accountants and Auditors	$85,980	24,530
General and Operations Managers	$145,880	22,510
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	$78,880	21,610
Office Clerks, General	$44,150	21,080
Community and Social Service Occupations	$53,270	20,500
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$27,900	19,920
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$35,630	19,660
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive	$42,080	19,210
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	$86,210	18,920
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	$29,370	18,580
Cooks, Restaurant	$29,680	17,690
Legal Occupations	$124,780	17,090
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations	$81,240	16,180
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	$45,990	14,550
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	$51,760	14,450
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$78,460	13,030
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$66,090	12,880
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	$35,310	11,080
Nursing Assistants	$35,570	11,070
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	$43,550	10,810
Lawyers	$156,100	10,780
Construction Laborers	$38,630	10,590