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DENVER – The Colorado Chamber Foundation and Aspen Technology Labs (Aspen) today released their jobs report for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025. Utilizing Aspen’s database of more than 10 million job vacancies worldwide from over 300,000 companies, the report provides real-time workforce and jobs data to better understand Colorado’s economic landscape. For the last quarter of 2025, the report also provides job market insights for the full year.
Looking at all quarters of 2025, statewide job vacancies in Colorado declined by 2.4% year over year, mirroring the 2.1% decline seen in 2024 job listings. This slight decrease aligns closely with the national average, which saw a total decline of 3% in 2025. Compared with other states, Colorado had the 15th strongest year-over-year vacancy performance in 2025, with postings down 2.4% versus a 3.0% national decline. In the fourth quarter specifically, Colorado saw a more significant dip with job postings decreasing by 5.8%. This slightly exceeds national trends, which saw a 4.4% decline over the same period.
Despite softer hiring demand, wages in Colorado outpaced national trends, with median full-time salaries rising 6.0% year-over-year in 2025, compared with 3.4% nationally. This puts the state’s median salary in job postings at $65,000. Colorado ranked 12th in the nation for highest median salaries in 2025, up from 14th at the end of 2024.
“Colorado employers continue to offer some of the highest paid jobs in the nation in order to attract top talent to fill critical roles,” said Rachel Beck, executive director of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “While our state’s jobs market shows encouraging signs of stability, this report reinforces the importance of advancing policies that address the underlying issues driving our workforce challenges. As the lawmakers consider wide-ranging proposals impacting our business climate this legislative session, the Chamber Foundation will continue to monitor economic trends and provide constructive data to inform policymaking.”
“Across 2025, Colorado’s job market trended down alongside the broader U.S. market,” said Michael Woodrow, president of Aspen Technology Labs. “At the same time, wage signals held firmer than posting volume, with Colorado’s median full-time advertised salary continuing to rise, making it among the top states for salaries offered in the country. The overall 2025 picture is a cooler labor market, but one moving in step with national conditions rather than breaking from them. One notable exception was aerospace and defense, where hiring demand increased meaningfully over the year.”
This quarter, the industry spotlight focused on Colorado’s aerospace and defense sector, which saw a 47% increase in job postings year-over-year in 2025. The industry median annual salary was $124,623 as of the end of Q4, with the highest paid titles being network architect, chief engineer and software architect. Software developer and systems engineer were the most in-demand positions in this sector, followed by other engineering roles. Colorado’s aerospace and defense industry is a significant economic driver for the state, underscoring the importance of the Chamber’s Aerospace and Defense Alliance, launched to strengthen the state’s position as a leading industry hub.
Health care industries in Colorado also saw significant need for talent in 2025. Nursing was the most in-demand occupation statewide, with 17,947 job postings and increasing 15.2% over the year.
Year-over-year, job postings declined across most Colorado metro areas. Montrose and Grand Junction experienced the steepest drops, with declines of 20.6% and 15.6% respectively, followed by Durango and Cañon City, each seeing a 15% decrease in job postings. In contrast, Rifle recorded the strongest growth in 2025, finishing the year with a 12.7% increase in job postings.
Boulder, Denver and Pueblo offered the highest full-time salaries statewide in Q4, with median salaries of $69,000, $67,496 and $65,000 respectively.
To view the full Q4 and 2025 jobs report, please visit: https://cochamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Colorado-Chamber-of-Commerce-Q4-2025-Job-Market-Report.pdf
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The Colorado Chamber Foundation is a non-profit educational foundation whose purpose is to support programs, research, educational opportunities and other initiatives that encourage and enhance a healthy business climate. The organization works collaboratively in partnership with state business leaders to advance Colorado’s economy and local communities through forward-thinking solutions.