Average Nurse Salary in
Colorado

Average Nurse Salary in Colorado

Colorado is one of the middle paying states for registered nurses. The registered nurse salary in Colorado is $78,070 per year. This means that nurses in Colorado earn an average of $37.53 per hour. On the other hand, the national average for registered nurses is $$77,600 per year. This annual salary is approximately $37.31 per hour.‍

(Data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Use Salary Explorer to see which cities in Colorado are paying registered nurses the most.

Highest Paying Cities in
Colorado
for...

Highest Paying Cities in Colorado for...

Travel Nurse

Average gross weekly nurse pay in the top cities/wider metro area

  1. Wheat Ridge - $2,390
  2. Highlands Ranch - $2,305
  3. Aurora - $2,210
  4. Lamar - $2,184
  5. Pueblo - $2,165
  6. Cortez - $2,152
  7. Delta - $2,110
  8. Durango - $2,109
  9. Glenwood Springs - $2,103
  10. Colorado Springs - $2,088

(Data courtesy of Trusted Health, May 2021)

Registered Nurse

Average annual nurse salary in the following cities/wider metro areas

  1. Boulder - $79,100
  2. Denver Metro Area - $79,100
  3. Fort Collins - $77,890
  4. Colorado Springs - $77,030
  5. Grand Junction - $77,030
  6. Greeley - $75,440
  7. Pueblo - $75,040

(Data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Nurse Specialties

Average annual nurse salary for the following nurse specialties

  1. Med/Surg Nurse - $96,964 (Range of $87,721 - $108,021)
  2. Progressive Care Nurse - $86,446 (Range of $76,095 - $97,999)
  3. Operating Room Nurse - $78,629 (Range of $70,549 - $86,923)
  4. Emergency Nurse - $76,499 (Range of $68,313 - $84,968)
  5. ICU Nurse - $75,986 (Range of $68,464 - $82,577)
  6. Labor and Delivery Nurse - $73,800 (Range of $67,200 - $83,600)
  7. Pediatric Nurse - $72,200 (Range of $65,500 - $82,700)

(Data courtesy of Salary.com, May 2021)

Cost of Living

Although nurse salaries in Colorado may only be about 1% higher than the national average, living in Colorado costs about average. Colorado ranks close to the national cost of living index. While your nursing salary may be average, the cost of rent alone may make up for it. For more detailed cost of living by city, check out the nurse Salary Explorer.

(Data courtesy of World Population Review)

Job Growth for Nurses

Colorado is a popular destination for staff and travel nurses alike. In 2021, Colorado was home to more than 56,060 nurses. 

However, Colorado has a strong job outlook, as the number of nurses in Colorado is expected to grow. Registered nurse jobs are forecasted to grow by more than 3.7% between 2021 and 2023, bringing the total number of working nurses in Colorado to more than 56,050. ‍

(Data courtesy of Projections Central)

See What Your Nursing Salary Could Be in Your City

We combined proprietary data with official nurse salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create the most comprehensive view of nurse salary in the United States. We present our findings in hourly pay for staff nurses and gross weekly pay for travel nurses to account for the different ways nurses think about pay.

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  • View facilities in any city and save them for later when you’re ready to find your next job.
  • Get detailed insights on what it actually costs to live in the city, including average rent, groceries and more.
  • Toggle between Staff Nurse and Travel Nurse pay and compare against state and national pay.

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