Software Engineer pay in Denver, by the numbers
Here is how that number compares with the rest of the United States, with CO, and with other jobs in Denver.
How Denver compares with United States and CO
Directly above Denver is Washington (US$154,930); directly below is Chicago (US$134,380). The full range runs from US$128,430 in San Antonio to US$213,110 in San Jose.
With Denver as the sole CO entry for software engineers, the useful benchmarks are national: 10th of 21, +1% vs the median.
Cost of living and take-home in Denver
With a COL index of 100, there is little difference between headline pay and price-adjusted pay (US$137,600).
Cash rank and buying-power rank match for Denver: 10th of 21.
After a simplified 16% effective national income tax, the median nets about US$9,700 a month. A modeled 1-bedroom (US$1,650) takes 17% of that, leaving around US$6,150 after modeled living costs.
If you compared Denver with similarly priced cities
In New York — similar cost level, COL 100 — the median is US$166,830 (+21% vs Denver), and the modeled budget leaves US$1,860 more each month.
In Los Angeles — similar cost level, COL 100 — the median is US$160,920 (+17% vs Denver), and the modeled budget leaves US$1,480 more each month.
A software engineer moving from Denver to Chicago (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median fall 2% to US$134,380, with US$200 less left over monthly in our model.
Where Software Engineer ranks among Denver jobs
Software Engineer ranks 2nd of 9 occupations with observed Denver data. Lawyer leads the city at US$177,380.
Closest neighbours in the Denver list: Mechanical Engineer at US$128,180 (-7%).
How Denver ranks at the low and high end
Starting pay holds up better than senior pay here. The 10th percentile places 5th nationally among observed metros; the 90th places 11th.
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$289,150 at the 90th percentile, +38% against Denver.
Spread between low and high software engineer pay in Denver
Pay is spread out: US$99,700 at the 10th percentile to US$209,300 at the 90th (2.1×). Level and setting matter more than the city average here.