Software engineer salary in Denver, CO
Software engineers in the Denver metro earn a median of $137,610 a year. That is 1.2% above the US median, and 4.3% below it once you account for higher prices in Denver.
Median salary
$137,610
US median: $135,980
The middle half earn
$123,640 – $171,350
25th to 75th percentile
After cost of living
$130,090
Denver prices: 5.8% above US average
H-1B median offer
$134,487
737 approved applications
Pay range
The top 10% of software engineers in Denver earn more than $209,300 a year. The bottom 10% earn less than $99,700.
10th percentile $99,700, 25th $123,640, 75th $171,350, 90th $209,300.
10th percentile $82,460, 25th $105,210, 75th $171,980, 90th $214,670.
10th percentile $111,295, 25th $120,536, 75th $160,000, 90th $180,000.
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Box: the middle half (25th to 75th). Dark mark: the median.
How far the pay goes in Denver
Prices in Denver are 5.8% above the US average, which makes the median worth $130,090 in US-average dollars. Housing costs 46.9% more than the US average.
Black line: US average = 100. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024.
Other tech jobs in Denver
Median yearly pay and the number of people in each job across the Denver metro.
| Job | People | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IT managers | 7,730 | $203,340 |
| Network architects | 10,260 | $139,230 |
| Software engineers | 27,010 | $137,610 |
| Information security analysts | 3,580 | $136,670 |
| Computer systems analysts | 4,190 | $127,880 |
| QA analysts and testers | 3,620 | $123,690 |
| Database administrators | 800 | $120,120 |
| Data scientists | 4,510 | $112,520 |
| Network and systems administrators | 4,670 | $105,090 |
| Computer programmers | 540 | $104,610 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 2,120 | $98,330 |
| Web developers | 900 | $92,060 |
| IT support specialists | 9,960 | $75,480 |
What H-1B employers offer in Denver
From October 2025 to June 2026, the Department of Labor approved 737 H-1B applications for software engineers in the Denver metro, from 345 employers.
Median offer
$134,487
Middle half
$120,536 – $160,000
Employers
345
Applications by wage level
- Level I (entry): 92
- Level II: 273
- Level III: 126
- Level IV (most experienced): 141
- Not stated: 105
These are salaries offered on approved applications, not salaries paid. Each application lists only its main work site.
Job outlook
+15.8%
The BLS expects over 267,000 more software developer jobs across the US from 2024 to 2034. Jobs overall are expected to grow 3.1%.
496 open tech jobs in Denver right now
From over 100 companies. 55 were posted in the past week.
Sources and notes
- Salaries and job counts: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published May 15, 2026), Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro. The BLS counts software engineers as "Software Developers" (job code 15-1252).
- Cost of living: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- H-1B offers: US Department of Labor, H-1B application data, October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Approved H-1B applications with job code 15-1252 and a work site in one of the metro area's 10 counties.
- Job outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024 to 2034, whole US.
- Open jobs: counted on hiredaemon as this page loads.