{"schema_version": 1, "id": "denver-aurora-co-msa/information-technology/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 174, "label": "Denver-Aurora, CO MSA", "slug": "denver-aurora-co-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "information_technology", "slug": "information-technology", "label": "Information Technology"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T03:04:21.327057+00:00", "headline": "Denver IT pay splits sharply along security and seniority lines.", "headline_summary": "Cybersecurity Analyst pay jumped to $113,390 even as metro unemployment rose to 4.6% and Colorado's labor force shed 95,000 workers, two-thirds of them aged 55 and older.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro unemployment rate", "value": "4.6%", "context": "August 2026, up from near 3.9% earlier in year"}, {"label": "Colorado labor force decline", "value": "-95,000", "context": "Over two years; 62% aged 55+"}, {"label": "Cybersecurity Analyst pay growth", "value": "$113,390", "context": "Up significantly, vs $107,327 national"}, {"label": "Colorado tech job growth forecast", "value": "+4,386 jobs", "context": "2.8% growth, 2026, after prior-year losses"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Cybersecurity pay is pulling away from the rest of IT.", "body": "Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay rose significantly to $113,390, outpacing national growth of similar magnitude at $107,327, while Data Scientist and Software Engineer pay held flat. Retention budgets built around average IT raises will underprice security talent specifically."}, {"headline": "Office-sector job losses are not translating into IT talent surplus.", "body": "Denver's office-using sector lost nearly 6,400 jobs through August even as statewide tech employment grew, suggesting the contraction is concentrated outside core technical functions. IT leaders should expect infrastructure and security hiring to stay competitive despite office-sector layoffs."}, {"headline": "Aging-out of the workforce is thinning Colorado's senior technical bench.", "body": "62% of the 95,000 residents who have exited Colorado's labor force over two years are 55 and older, a cohort disproportionately represented in senior infrastructure and architecture roles. Succession and knowledge-transfer planning may matter more than headline hiring volume this year."}, {"headline": "Geographic pay arbitrage inside Colorado is widening.", "body": "Denver IT support specialists average $66,277 against $51,680 in Colorado Springs, a gap wide enough to change where distributed support functions get built. Lockheed Martin's 1,250 new Colorado roles will likely push Douglas and Jefferson county wage floors higher, reinforcing the case for support-function placement outside the core metro."}], "local_conditions": "Denver's unemployment rate climbed to 4.6% in August as the metro's office-using sector shed roughly 6,400 jobs through the first eight months of 2026, even as Colorado's statewide tech workforce grew to 248,000 with projected 2026 gains of 4,386 jobs concentrated in AI adoption at nontech companies. A structural outflow of experienced talent \u2014 Colorado's labor force has shrunk by roughly 95,000 over two years, with 62% of leavers aged 55 and older \u2014 is tightening supply for senior infrastructure and security roles even as broader metro hiring cools.", "implications": "Cooling office-sector employment alongside tightening senior technical supply creates a split market: IT leaders can expect easier sourcing for entry-level and generalist roles while specialized infrastructure, security and AI-adjacent talent remain scarce and priced accordingly, as Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay rose significantly this month to $113,390. Build-vs-buy decisions tilt toward outsourcing routine operations and support functions where Denver's Help Desk pay ($54,080) sits well above Colorado Springs equivalents, while retaining build capacity in-house for roles tied to AI and security where premiums are compounding. Consider reviewing which infrastructure and security functions require Denver-based talent versus candidates in lower-cost Colorado metros or remote arrangements, given the documented 118% wage premium tech talent commands statewide.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected", "body": "Colorado's October unemployment figure releases November 20; another uptick from September's 4.1% would confirm the metro's softening trend extends into Q4, relevant for headcount planning timing."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Denver office-sector job losses (nearly 6,400 through August) may continue pushing administrative and non-technical talent into adjacent fields; watch whether this eases competition for IT project management and support hires."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Colorado's $6.7M federal tech skills training grant opens a hiring window before newly trained workers disperse to other markets; IT leaders planning 2027 entry-level hiring should track program completion timelines."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Continued WARN activity in Denver's financial and professional services sectors (Travelport, TIAA, SP Plus) may release mid-career technical talent into the candidate pool; monitor whether cybersecurity or infrastructure skillsets appear among displaced workers."}], "roles": [{"role": "Data Scientist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 112471.0, "metro_p50": 142863.4, "metro_p75": 162000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 145881.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Systems Administrator", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80931.0, "metro_p50": 105000.0, "metro_p75": 116612.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102503.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Network Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 75617.5, "metro_p50": 121006.6, "metro_p75": 134600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 115757.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 115000.0, "metro_p50": 152500.0, "metro_p75": 166225.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Help Desk/IT Support Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 44100.0, "metro_p50": 54080.0, "metro_p75": 62501.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 53129.0, "national_trend_direction": "down", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Cybersecurity Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 88000.0, "metro_p50": 113389.8, "metro_p75": 127561.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 107327.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "IT Project Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 82822.0, "metro_p50": 117841.2, "metro_p75": 129261.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 118149.8, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "denver-aurora-co-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "pdf": "denver-aurora-co-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:21:00.392304+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/denver-aurora-co-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/denver-aurora-co-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}