Colorado · SOC 17-2041
Chemical Engineer Salary in Colorado
VerifiedPublished wages for chemical engineers in Colorado, straight from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024 release — the full percentile distribution, employment concentration, and metro detail.
Chemical Engineers in Colorado earn a median of $131,740 per year ($124,540 mean), per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $98,620–$140,900; the top 10% earn $169,990. That is 8% above the national median of $121,860, ranking Colorado #7 of 43 states that publish this occupation.
Median wage
Verified$131,740
+8% vs national
Top 10% earn
$169,990
90th percentile
Employed in state
850
Reliability Moderate (15.5% RSE)
Chemical Engineer pay distribution — Colorado vs national
Every figure below is a published BLS percentile. Bars share one scale, so the two distributions compare directly.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $79,490 | +1% |
| 25th percentile | $98,620 | +3% |
| Median50th percentile | $131,740 | +8% |
| 75th percentile | $140,900 | -7% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $169,990 | -7% |
| Meanaverage | $124,540 | -3% |
Where chemical engineers earn most in Colorado
Metro areas in Colorado where BLS publishes a wage for SOC 17-2041. Metros BLS withholds are not listed.
| Metro area | Median | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| DenverDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $140,900 | $169,990 | 550 |
| BoulderBoulder, CO | $113,240 | $176,610 | 170 |
| Fort CollinsFort Collins-Loveland, CO | $112,010 | $165,230 | 50 |
| GreeleyGreeley, CO | $110,240 | $158,010 | 30 |
Colorado engineering labor market
Concentration and pay level across all engineering occupations BLS publishes for this state.
Location quotient
2.24
Jobs per 1,000
0.29
State rank (pay)
#7 of 43
All engineering roles
$129,051
A location quotient of 2.24 means Colorado employs chemical engineers at a meaningfully higher rate than the country as a whole — a genuine cluster for this discipline.
Frequently asked questions
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Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2041 (Chemical Engineers), Colorado (state).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →