Colorado Springs holds steady while Colorado's growth engine stalls.
3.8%
Metro unemployment rate
vs 4.0% Colorado statewide, 4.1% U.S.
5.0% YoY
El Paso County wage growth
Q1 2026, average weekly wage $1,437
67.4%
Colorado labor force participation
Down from 68.1% a year earlier
-1,400 jobs
Colorado statewide job change
July to August 2026, third straight monthly loss
This Month's Takeaways
01
Low unemployment is masking a slower growth story statewide.
Colorado Springs' 3.8% unemployment rate looks strong against the state's 4.0%, but Colorado has now posted three straight months of statewide job losses in 2026. A tight jobless rate paired with soft job creation is consistent with a labor market short on workers rather than one generating broad new demand.
02
Wage growth is real, but it is not outpacing national comparisons.
El Paso County wages rose 5.0% year-over-year in Q1 2026, a genuinely strong figure, yet the region's $1,437 average weekly wage still trails Colorado's statewide average and national benchmarks. For commerce leaders courting employers or talent from other metros, pay levels alone remain a modest selling point even as pay growth outperforms.
03
Labor force participation decline deserves more attention than the jobless rate.
Statewide labor force participation fell to 67.4% from 68.1% a year earlier, driven in part by reduced net domestic and international migration into Colorado. A metro economy that depends on in-migration for workforce growth is exposed if that inflow continues to soften, regardless of how low the unemployment rate reads.
04
Sector winners and losers are splitting along the same national lines.
Education, health services, and trade/transportation/utilities are driving Colorado's modest 2026 job growth projection, while information, leisure/hospitality, and professional/business services are expected to contract. Colorado Springs' own strength in professional/business services and education/health services suggests the metro is better positioned than the state average, but not immune to the same headwinds.
Local Economic Conditions
Colorado Springs unemployment held at 3.8% as of the most recent confirmed metro reading, running favorable to the state's 4.0% August figure even as El Paso County payroll growth has moderated through the year, with professional/business services and education/health services providing the clearest expansion while information and manufacturing payrolls contract statewide. Weekly wages in El Paso County climbed 5.0% year-over-year in Q1 2026 to $1,437, trailing both the state average and national benchmarks, suggesting local pay momentum remains positive but is not closing the gap with peer metros.
Open Threads in the Data
Divergence between a still-favorable local unemployment rate and softer statewide job creation points to a metro economy that is stable but not accelerating — a signal relevant to expansion timing, site-selection conversations, and capital investment decisions rather than any single hiring call. Colorado's negative net domestic migration and the state's slipping labor force participation rate (67.4%, down from 68.1%) raise a structural question for commerce leaders about whether the regional labor pool can support sustained business growth without continued in-migration. Current conditions suggest economic development and chamber leadership should track labor force participation alongside payroll counts, since a shrinking available workforce can constrain growth even when unemployment looks healthy.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Colorado Springs, CO MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$35,360 |
→ Stable |
2,359 |
| Retail Cashier |
$33,280 |
→ Stable |
1,144 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$39,520 |
↓ Moderate decline |
388 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$75,949 |
→ Stable |
2,591 |
| Delivery Driver |
$35,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
2,192 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$41,600 |
→ Stable |
174 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$79,106 |
↑ Moderate increase |
299 |
| HVAC Technician |
$72,800 |
↑ Significant increase |
149 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$41,600 |
→ Stable |
391 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$39,300 |
↑ Moderate increase |
573 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$40,968 |
↑ Moderate increase |
230 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$44,793 |
→ Stable |
1,653 |
| Registered Nurse |
$92,990 |
↑ Moderate increase |
4,504 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$44,200 |
↑ Moderate increase |
841 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$135,814 |
→ Stable |
3,070 |
| Data Engineer |
$127,500 |
↓ Significant decline |
164 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$67,476 |
→ Stable |
294 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$70,000 |
↑ Moderate increase |
72 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$53,442 |
↓ Moderate decline |
36 |
| Business Analyst |
$99,775 |
↑ Moderate increase |
133 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$102,768 |
↓ Moderate decline |
159 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$63,174 |
↑ Significant increase |
5,625 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$95,549 |
↑ Significant increase |
368 |
Industry Snapshot · Colorado Springs, CO MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
→ +2.7% |
↑ +19.8% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +13.7% |
↑ +57.8% |
| Retail Trade |
↑ +3.7% |
→ +1.1% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↓ −4.1% |
↑ +25.4% |
| Information |
↑ +28.0% |
↑ +45.0% |
| Financial Activities |
→ −2.7% |
↑ +15.3% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +29.4% |
↑ +26.4% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +9.3% |
↑ +27.1% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −4.7% |
↓ −4.6% |
| Government |
↑ +18.7% |
↓ −18.2% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Data gap to monitor
September 2026 metro-level unemployment and payroll figures from BLS will not post until early November given standard lag, leaving commerce leaders reliant on Q1 county wage data and statewide trends in the interim. Treat any near-term local narrative as provisional until that release lands.
Worth watching
Colorado's Leeds Business Confidence Index rose 1.3 points but remains below the neutral 50 threshold, indicating cautious optimism rather than genuine expansion sentiment among state business leaders. Watch whether Colorado Springs-specific business sentiment surveys, if available, track this statewide pattern or diverge.
Emerging pressure point
Net domestic out-migration from Colorado in 2025, paired with reduced international immigration, is tightening the labor supply pipeline the state and metro have historically relied on for growth. Economic development leaders should track whether 2026 migration data shows this trend persisting or reversing.
Potential inflection point
National wage growth has slipped to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, the first real-wage erosion in two years; if that national pattern reaches Colorado Springs, consumer spending power locally could soften even where wage growth on paper looks respectable. Monitor regional CPI and local retail/consumer sector job postings for early signs.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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