Project Management Specialists salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Project Management Specialists in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Colorado tax rules.
The figures
The median Project Management Specialists in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earns $116,740 a year ($56.12 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Project Management Specialists in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn between $89,060 and $137,710 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $71,600 or less and the top 10 percent earn $172,060 or more. BLS estimates 20,710 Project Management Specialists jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area — 12.867 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.88 (well above the national concentration). That is 1.9% of all Project Management Specialists employment in the United States (1,066,670 jobs nationally). By employment, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is the #10 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Project Management Specialists. In aggregate, Project Management Specialists in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn about $2.50 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $89,100.70 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Project Management Specialists is about $1.85 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #6 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Project Management Specialists. By employment, Project Management Specialists is the #14 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Placed against the national distribution for Project Management Specialists, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $116,740 falls between the national median ($102,320) and the national 75th percentile ($133,100). Across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median is $62,320 a year — Project Management Specialists pay is 87.3% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $58.00 | $120,640 |
| 10th percentile | $34.42 | $71,600 |
| 25th percentile | $42.82 | $89,060 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $56.12 | $116,740 |
| 75th percentile | $66.21 | $137,710 |
| 90th percentile | $82.72 | $172,060 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Project Management Specialists in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn 2.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($172,060 against $71,600). The middle half spans $48,650 — from $89,060 to $137,710. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($82.72) is 2.40 times the 10th ($34.42). In the upper half of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $137,710 takes home $100,039.90 and the 90th percentile wage of $172,060 takes home $122,006.62 — $21,966.72 more net for $34,350 more gross. Against the median take-home of $86,528.52, the top decile keeps 1.41 times as much. The mean wage of $120,640 sits 3.3% above the median: higher-paid Project Management Specialists pull the average up in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Among the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, Project Management Specialists ranks #3 by median pay. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage ladder of covered occupations, Project Management Specialists sits between Software Developers at $137,610 and Registered Nurses at $101,130. Project Management Specialists accounts for 1.3% of all employment in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,846 Project Management Specialists; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO employs 0.9 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Colorado
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Colorado; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $116,740.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $16,852.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $7,237.88 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,692.73 |
| Colorado income tax | $4,428.16 |
| Total deductions | $30,211.48 |
| Net pay (annual) | $86,528.52 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,328.02 |
| Total deduction rate | 25.88% of gross |
At the median, $86,528.52 of the $116,740 gross is kept ($3,328.02 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 25.88%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 20.73% at the 10th percentile, 23.34% at the 25th percentile, 27.35% at the 75th percentile, 29.09% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $31,766.38 on a gross rise of $48,650.
The same engine at the other published points of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($71,600) | $56,758.68 | $2,183.03 | 20.73% |
| 25th percentile ($89,060) | $68,273.52 | $2,625.90 | 23.34% |
| Median ($116,740) | $86,528.52 | $3,328.02 | 25.88% |
| 75th percentile ($137,710) | $100,039.90 | $3,847.69 | 27.35% |
| 90th percentile ($172,060) | $122,006.62 | $4,692.56 | 29.09% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $56,758.68 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,006.62 at the 90th — a spread of $65,247.94 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median wage of $62,320 takes home $50,220.38 a year ($1,931.55 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.42%). The Project Management Specialists median take-home of $86,528.52 sits $36,308.14 (above that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Project Management Specialists earns $102,320 a year ($49.19 an hour). The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $116,740 is $14,420 (14.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $120,640 a year in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO against $110,740 nationally, a gap of $9,900 (8.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Project Management Specialists 90th percentile of $172,060 is 115% of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO all-occupations 90th percentile ($149,200), and its 10th percentile of $71,600 is 191% of the area-wide 10th ($37,490).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $116,740 | $56.12 | $120,640 |
| United States | $102,320 | $49.19 | $110,740 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Project Management Specialists in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$116,740 a year ($56.12 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $120,640 a year. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #6 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $116,740 in Colorado?
About $86,528.52 a year ($3,328.02 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 25.88% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $137,710, take-home is $100,039.90.
How does pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO compare with the national median for Project Management Specialists?
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $116,740 is $14,420 (14.1%) above the national median of $102,320 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $172,060, against a national 90th percentile of $167,970.
How much do the top 10% of Project Management Specialists earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$172,060 a year or more ($82.72 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Project Management Specialists in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
On $172,060 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $122,006.62 a year ($4,692.56 per biweekly paycheck) in Colorado under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 29.09%.
How many Project Management Specialists jobs are there in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
BLS estimates 20,710 Project Management Specialists jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — 12.867 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Project Management Specialists jobs in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The location quotient is 1.88 — well above the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Project Management Specialists in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
From $56,758.68 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($71,600) to $122,006.62 at the 90th ($172,060), under the same single-filer assumptions in Colorado.
What is the total wage bill for Project Management Specialists in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
About $2.50 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 20,710 multiplied by the mean wage of $120,640.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.