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DENVER – The Colorado Chamber Foundation and Aspen Technology Labs (Aspen) today released their jobs report for the first quarter (Q1) of 2026. 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.
Colorado ranked fifth among all states for quarterly vacancy growth in Q1 2026, with job postings increasing 11.9% from December 2025 to March 2026. Following a decline in the previous quarter, the state’s labor market experienced a rebound, outpacing the national quarterly increase of 9.4%.
Colorado’s median full-time salary also increased during the quarter, rising 2.4% to $66,560 in March 2026. Median part-time hourly wages rose during the same period to $19.50. Colorado continued to remain above the national median salary of $64,147 and ranked 13th highest among states for median full-time salary.
“Colorado’s labor market saw strong growth in the first quarter, with hiring activity rebounding across many industries following the typical year-end slowdown,” said Rachel Beck, executive director of the Colorado Chamber Foundation. “Colorado employers also continue to offer strong wages that remain above the national average in order to attract and retain talent for critical roles across the state. While overall job postings remain below levels seen this time last year, Colorado’s strong quarterly growth in job postings points to continued resilience in the state’s economy and workforce.”
“Colorado’s Q1 results show a hiring market continuing to cool in step with national trends, though with quarterly momentum running ahead of most other states,” said Michael Woodrow, president of Aspen Technology Labs. “While total postings declined modestly year over year, Colorado ranked 5th nationally for quarterly vacancy growth. Wages were also encouraging: the state’s median full-time advertised salary reached $66,560, above the national median and up 4% year over year. The overall picture is of employers becoming more deliberate, pairing focused hiring with competitive wages to attract the right candidates.”
At the regional level, Colorado Springs led the state in quarterly vacancy growth with a 16% increase in job postings, followed closely by Greeley at 15.7% and Boulder at 14.1%. Resort communities saw more mixed results this quarter, with Edwards and Breckenridge seeing declines in vacancies. Boulder reported the highest median salary at $71,999, followed by Denver at $68,640 and Colorado Springs at $66,560.
The job categories experiencing the largest growth in Q1 were education, business services and health care. Education postings saw especially strong growth this quarter, increasing by 39.9%.
This quarter, the industry spotlight focused on Colorado’s child care sector, which saw 2,957 vacancies in March 2026. While Colorado job postings declined 4.6% year-over-year, child care roles proved more stable, falling just 0.7% over the same period. The industry median salary was $41,600 as of the end of Q1 and the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro accounted for nearly a third of all child care postings statewide with 947 job postings.
To view the Q1 jobs report, please visit: https://cochamber.com/wp-content/uploads/Colorado-Chamber-of-Commerce-Q1-2026-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.