Software pay in Colorado after taxes: what you keep (2026)
The median software developer in Colorado earned $134,540 a year in May 2024, which is $65 an hour for a full-time year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of the 48,980 software developers the BLS counts in Colorado earned more than that and half earned less; the middle half of them sat between $107,780 and $168,120. That is the gross figure, before anyone takes anything. What you keep depends on Colorado's tax, and Colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax.
What the median software developer keeps in Colorado
For a single filer on the median $134,540, taking the standard deduction and no other adjustments:
| Line | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay (BLS median) | $134,540 | $11,212 |
| Federal income tax | -$21,828 | -$1,819 |
| Social Security and Medicare (7.65%) | -$10,292 | -$858 |
| Colorado state income tax | -$5,920 | -$493 |
| Take-home | $96,500 | $8,042 |
The state line is 4.4% of gross at this salary. Health insurance, retirement contributions and local taxes are not in it either; they vary by employer and by city.
Where Colorado ranks for software developer pay
Of the 50 states, Colorado ranks 8 of 50 on the gross median for software developers, in the top ten. The highest-paying state is California at $170,910 and the lowest is Mississippi at $86,460. Gross rank is not take-home rank: a state with no income tax climbs several places once the state line is applied, and a high-tax state drops.
Across the border
The same job in the states next to Colorado, gross median and estimated take-home for a single filer:
| State | Gross median | State tax | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $134,540 | $5,920 | $96,500 |
| Arizona | $128,690 | $3,217 | $95,204 |
| Utah | $127,390 | $5,733 | $91,800 |
| New Mexico | $120,820 | $4,990 | $88,052 |
| Wyoming | $112,590 | $0 | $87,366 |
| Nebraska | $116,420 | $4,238 | $85,797 |
| Oklahoma | $107,420 | $3,572 | $80,157 |
| Kansas | $106,660 | $4,166 | $79,029 |
None of Colorado's neighbours beats it on take-home for software developers. Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas pay less once tax is counted. Pay is one line; rent is the other, and a higher median in a metro with higher rent can leave you with less.
Where the software developer jobs are in Colorado
The BLS count of 48,980 software developers is statewide. The metros with the most of that work are Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora and Fort Collins, which is where the median is set and where the upper quartile ($168,120 and above) is most often paid. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are listed on the Colorado openings page; those filings are the ones already paying to bring people in, and housing or transport is often part of the offer.
What people get wrong about software developer pay in Colorado
- Quoting the mean. The BLS mean for Colorado is $71 an hour, pulled up by the top earners. The median ($65) is what the typical software developer makes.
- Comparing gross across states. A $134,540 offer in Colorado is $96,500 in hand; the same number in a no-tax state is $102,420.
- Forgetting the employer's share of insurance. A job that pays $132,540 with full health coverage can beat one that pays $137,540 without it.
- Treating the statewide median as the metro median. Denver pays differently from a rural county; ask for the figure for the place you are actually going.
Everything about Colorado, on one page
The Colorado page has the licence registries and boards, the state tax at three salaries, the programs that pay you to come, and the openings filed in Colorado this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of Colorado employers hiring from out of state.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates for Software. Tax lines are a single filer with the standard deduction, 2024 federal brackets, and the state rate in lib/us-states.ts; progressive states are approximated. Not tax advice.
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