Software Developers salary in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers 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 Software Developers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earns $137,610 a year ($66.16 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn between $123,640 and $171,350 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $99,700 or less and the top 10 percent earn $209,300 or more. BLS estimates 27,010 Software Developers jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area — 16.783 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.55 (well above the national concentration). That is 1.6% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is the #14 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn about $4.04 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $107,515.82 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Software Developers is about $2.90 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #10 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #6 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $137,610 falls between the national median ($135,980) and the national 75th percentile ($171,980). Across all occupations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median is $62,320 a year — Software Developers pay is 120.8% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $71.83 | $149,400 |
| 10th percentile | $47.94 | $99,700 |
| 25th percentile | $59.44 | $123,640 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $66.16 | $137,610 |
| 75th percentile | $82.38 | $171,350 |
| 90th percentile | $100.63 | $209,300 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO earn 2.1 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($209,300 against $99,700). The middle half spans $47,710 — from $123,640 to $171,350. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($100.63) is 2.10 times the 10th ($47.94). In the upper half of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $171,350 takes home $121,552.98 and the 90th percentile wage of $209,300 takes home $145,821.78 — $24,268.80 more net for $37,950 more gross. Against the median take-home of $99,976.04, the top decile keeps 1.46 times as much. The mean wage of $149,400 sits 8.6% above the median: higher-paid Software Developers pull the average up in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO. Among the 30 covered occupations in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, Software Developers ranks #2 by median pay. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits between General and Operations Managers at $142,330 and Project Management Specialists at $116,740. Software Developers accounts for 1.7% of all employment in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO employs 0.7 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) | $137,610.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $21,760.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $8,531.82 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,995.35 |
| Colorado income tax | $5,346.44 |
| Total deductions | $37,633.96 |
| Net pay (annual) | $99,976.04 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,845.23 |
| Total deduction rate | 27.35% of gross |
At the median, $99,976.04 of the $137,610 gross is kept ($3,845.23 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 27.35%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 24.48% at the 10th percentile, 26.36% at the 25th percentile, 29.06% at the 75th percentile, 30.33% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $30,510.48 on a gross rise of $47,710.
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 ($99,700) | $75,290.42 | $2,895.79 | 24.48% |
| 25th percentile ($123,640) | $91,042.50 | $3,501.63 | 26.36% |
| Median ($137,610) | $99,976.04 | $3,845.23 | 27.35% |
| 75th percentile ($171,350) | $121,552.98 | $4,675.11 | 29.06% |
| 90th percentile ($209,300) | $145,821.78 | $5,608.53 | 30.33% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $75,290.42 a year at the 10th percentile to $145,821.78 at the 90th — a spread of $70,531.36 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 Software Developers median take-home of $99,976.04 sits $49,755.66 (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 Software Developers earns $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $137,610 is $1,630 (1.2%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $149,400 a year in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $1,300 (0.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $209,300 is 140% of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO all-occupations 90th percentile ($149,200), and its 10th percentile of $99,700 is 266% of the area-wide 10th ($37,490).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $137,610 | $66.16 | $149,400 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$137,610 a year ($66.16 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $149,400 a year. Ranked by median pay, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO stands #10 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $137,610 in Colorado?
About $99,976.04 a year ($3,845.23 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 27.35% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $171,350, take-home is $121,552.98.
How does pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO median of $137,610 is $1,630 (1.2%) above the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $209,300, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
$209,300 a year or more ($100.63 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Software Developers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
On $209,300 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $145,821.78 a year ($5,608.53 per biweekly paycheck) in Colorado under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 30.33%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
BLS estimates 27,010 Software Developers jobs in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area — 16.783 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
The location quotient is 1.55 — 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 Software Developers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
From $75,290.42 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($99,700) to $145,821.78 at the 90th ($209,300), under the same single-filer assumptions in Colorado.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
About $4.04 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 27,010 multiplied by the mean wage of $149,400.
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.