Accountants and Auditors Salary in Denver, CO (2024)
Accountants and Auditors in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earn a median of $95,680 per year ($46.00 per hour) based on 23,290 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +17.1% against the national median of $81,680 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where accountants and auditors actually sit across the pay range in Denver, CO, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29.42 | $61,200 | |
| 25th percentile | $36.08 | $75,040 | |
| Median | $46.00 | $95,680 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $60.45 | $125,730 | |
| 90th percentile | $76.58 | $159,290 | |
| Average (mean) | $49.37 | $102,690 |
How Denver, CO compares
The local median of $95,680 runs +17.1% above the US median of $81,680 for this occupation; it pays 56.6% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($61,110); within the metro it ranks 130th of 635 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO — this occupation | $95,680 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $81,680 | +17.1% |
| Denver, CO — all occupations | $61,110 | +56.6% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $105,750 | -9.5% |
At a location quotient of 1.53, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 153% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 3.2%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 130th of 635 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Denver, CO
To put $95,680 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 130th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $211,860 | 5,540 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $207,120 | 220 |
| Chief Executives | $206,990 | — |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $193,000 | 310 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $183,050 | 8,510 |
| Pediatricians, General | $182,320 | 280 |
| Lawyers | $180,940 | 12,590 |
| Financial Managers | $177,470 | 8,190 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $177,340 | 2,600 |
| Sales Managers | $176,620 | 6,580 |
Where accountants and auditors earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $77,770 to $105,750. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $105,750 | 26,600 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $105,100 | 114,300 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $99,440 | 42,320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $99,380 | 24,880 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $97,580 | 36,300 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $95,680 | 23,290 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $93,890 | 65,590 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $93,430 | 14,070 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $85,450 | 15,770 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $84,080 | 29,180 |
See the full national picture on the Accountants and Auditors salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for accountants and auditors in Denver, CO?
The median annual wage is $95,680, or $46 per hour. That means half of the accountants and auditors working in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $102,690.
What do the highest and lowest paid accountants and auditors in Denver, CO earn?
The bottom 10% earn $61,200 or less, while the top 10% earn $159,290 or more — a spread of $98,090 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $75,040 and $125,730.
Is accountants and auditors pay in Denver, CO above the local average?
Yes, it is 56.6% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $61,110. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Denver, CO pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $95,680 the metro median is 17.1% higher than the US median of $81,680 for accountants and auditors. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $77,770 to $105,750.
How many accountants and auditors work in Denver, CO?
BLS counts about 23,290 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 14.39 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.53, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 153% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 12.4%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.