Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education Salary in Denver, CO (2024)
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earn a median of $64,070 per year based on 12,000 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +2.8% against the national median of $62,340 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where elementary school teachers, except special education actually sit across the pay range in Denver, CO, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.29 | $48,450 | |
| 25th percentile | $28.25 | $58,770 | |
| Median | — | $64,070 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $38.83 | $80,770 | |
| 90th percentile | $45.79 | $95,240 | |
| Average (mean) | — | $69,200 |
How Denver, CO compares
The local median of $64,070 runs +2.8% above the US median of $62,340 for this occupation; it pays 4.8% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($61,110); within the metro it ranks 301st of 635 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO — this occupation | $64,070 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $62,340 | +2.8% |
| Denver, CO — all occupations | $61,110 | +4.8% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $100,580 | -36.3% |
A location quotient of 0.82 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 0.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 301st of 635 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Denver, CO
To put $64,070 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 301st.
| 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 elementary school teachers, except special education earn the most
Across the 25 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $51,930 to $100,580. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $100,580 | 42,880 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $99,970 | 15,410 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $98,890 | 14,800 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $97,560 | 18,270 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $95,240 | 100,040 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $86,600 | 22,040 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $80,270 | 8,080 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $78,430 | 11,720 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $76,120 | 30,500 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $76,100 | 14,970 |
See the full national picture on the Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for elementary school teachers, except special education in Denver, CO?
The median annual wage is $64,070. That means half of the elementary school teachers, except special education working in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $69,200.
What do the highest and lowest paid elementary school teachers, except special education in Denver, CO earn?
The bottom 10% earn $48,450 or less, while the top 10% earn $95,240 or more — a spread of $46,790 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $58,770 and $80,770.
Is elementary school teachers, except special education pay in Denver, CO above the local average?
Yes, it is 4.8% 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 $64,070 the metro median is 2.8% higher than the US median of $62,340 for elementary school teachers, except special education. Across the 25 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $51,930 to $100,580.
How many elementary school teachers, except special education work in Denver, CO?
BLS counts about 12,000 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 7.42 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. A location quotient of 0.82 sits slightly below the national average, meaning the occupation accounts for a smaller share of local employment than it does across the US.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 1.5%). 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.