Salaries in Colorado.
2 metro areas. 3445 roles.
Average cost-of-living index: 1.11x national average. Last updated April 2026.
2 cities tracked3445 roles
Highest Paying
$407,000
Principal Quantitative Researcher
Median Role
$359,000
Principal Deep Learning Engineer
Entry Level
$347,000
VP of AI
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
Colorado has 2 major metro areas tracked in our salary database, with an average cost-of-living index of 1.11x the national average. The highest-paying role across the state is Principal Quantitative Researcher at $407,000 in Boulder. The median role pays $359,000.
Top 30 salaries in Colorado
| # | Role | Median | Top City | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $407,000 | Boulder | $317,000 – $528,000 |
| 2 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $398,000 | Boulder | $311,000 – $518,000 |
| 3 | Senior VP of Security | $398,000 | Boulder | $311,000 – $518,000 |
| 4 | Technical Fellow | $390,000 | Boulder | $305,000 – $508,000 |
| 5 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $384,000 | Boulder | $300,000 – $499,000 |
| 6 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $373,000 | Boulder | $291,000 – $486,000 |
| 7 | SVP of Technology | $369,000 | Boulder | $289,000 – $481,000 |
| 8 | Distinguished Engineer | $368,000 | Boulder | $279,000 – $469,000 |
| 9 | Senior VP of Product | $368,000 | Boulder | $287,000 – $478,000 |
| 10 | Chief Security Officer | $368,000 | Boulder | $287,000 – $479,000 |
| 11 | Senior VP of Design | $367,000 | Boulder | $287,000 – $477,000 |
| 12 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $365,000 | Boulder | $285,000 – $474,000 |
| 13 | Chief AI Officer | $364,000 | Boulder | $270,000 – $469,000 |
| 14 | SVP of Product | $364,000 | Boulder | $284,000 – $473,000 |
| 15 | Principal Cryptographer | $362,000 | Boulder | $283,000 – $471,000 |
| 16 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $359,000 | Boulder | $280,000 – $467,000 |
| 17 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $359,000 | Boulder | $280,000 – $467,000 |
| 18 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $355,000 | Boulder | $277,000 – $462,000 |
| 19 | SVP of Sales | $355,000 | Boulder | $277,000 – $462,000 |
| 20 | Principal LLM Engineer | $353,000 | Boulder | $275,000 – $458,000 |
| 21 | Chief Science Officer | $353,000 | Boulder | $276,000 – $459,000 |
| 22 | L7 Software Engineer | $353,000 | Boulder | $276,000 – $459,000 |
| 23 | Lead High-Frequency Trading Engineer | $352,000 | Boulder | $275,000 – $457,000 |
| 24 | Chief Architect | $352,000 | Boulder | $274,000 – $457,000 |
| 25 | Principal Computer Vision Engineer | $350,000 | Boulder | $272,000 – $454,000 |
| 26 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $350,000 | Boulder | $272,000 – $454,000 |
| 27 | SVP of Data | $349,000 | Boulder | $272,000 – $455,000 |
| 28 | Chief Machine Learning Officer | $348,000 | Boulder | $272,000 – $453,000 |
| 29 | SVP of Strategy | $348,000 | Boulder | $272,000 – $453,000 |
| 30 | VP of AI | $347,000 | Boulder | $263,000 – $454,000 |
Tax considerations in Colorado
Colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax. Denver has no additional city income tax, making the overall tax burden lighter than most coastal metros.
Colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax. Boulder has no additional city income tax. The moderate rate combined with high quality of life makes it competitive despite higher housing costs.
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