Workers in the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $31.59 in May 2023, compared to the nationwide average of $31.48, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($68.57), computer and mathematical ($55.32), and legal ($54.45). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($18.34), building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($19.14), and personal care and service ($19.88). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Colorado Springs area included office and administrative support (11.6 percent), food preparation and serving related (10.2 percent), and sales and related (9.8 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included legal (0.7 percent); life, physical, and social science (0.7 percent); and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media (1.5 percent).

One occupational group—business and financial operations—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Colorado Springs had 26,830 jobs in business and financial operations, accounting for 8.6 percent of local area employment, compared to the 6.6-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $42.15, compared to the national wage of $43.55.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the business and financial operations group included project management specialists (2,950), accountants and auditors (2,780), and market research analysts and marketing specialists (2,510). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were personal financial advisors and financial and investment analysts, with mean hourly wages of $53.66 and $52.55, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were credit counselors ($25.20) and meeting, convention, and event planners ($27.30). (Detailed data for the business and financial operations occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_17820.htm.)

Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Colorado Springs area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in some of the occupations within the business and financial operations group. For instance, budget analyst were employed at 2.3 times the national rate in Colorado Springs, and claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators, at 1.9 times the U.S. average. Accountants and auditors had a location quotient of 1.0 in Colorado Springs, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment.

Technical Note

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 580 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables are available online.

Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology are available in the national Technical Notes. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 65.8 percent based on establishments and 64.3 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area included 2,655 establishments with a response rate of 81 percent.

Metropolitan area definitions

The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

The Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area includes El Paso County and Teller County.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation, are available on the OEWS website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Employment and wage data for business and financial operations occupations, Colorado Springs metropolitan area, May 2023

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Business and financial operations occupations	26,830	1.3	42.15	87,660
Buyers and purchasing agents	1,140	1.2	39.73	82,640
Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators	1,120	1.9	35.52	73,870
Insurance appraisers, auto damage	190	10.9	33.84	70,390
Compliance officers	720	0.9	40.00	83,210
Cost estimators	500	1.1	38.26	79,570
Human resources specialists	2,070	1.1	36.55	76,020
Labor relations specialists	30	0.3	35.07	72,950
Logisticians	560	1.2	46.21	96,120
Project management specialists	2,950	1.5	50.10	104,210
Management analysts	1,540	0.9	47.96	99,750
Meeting, convention, and event planners	450	1.8	27.30	56,790
Fundraisers	340	1.7	32.24	67,060
Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists	110	0.5	35.57	73,980
Training and development specialists	1,300	1.6	34.68	72,130
Market research analysts and marketing specialists	2,510	1.5	37.98	79,010
Business operations specialists, all other	5,510	2.4	44.39	92,340
Accountants and auditors	2,780	1.0	41.44	86,190
Property appraisers and assessors	160	1.2	34.69	72,150
Budget analysts	220	2.3	41.45	86,220
Credit analysts	80	0.5	39.36	81,870
Financial and investment analysts	(5)	(5)	52.55	109,310
Personal financial advisors	280	0.5	53.66	111,610
Financial risk specialists	70	0.6	44.09	91,700
Financial examiners	70	0.5	41.12	85,520
Credit counselors	40	0.7	25.20	52,420
Loan officers	570	0.9	48.72	101,330
Tax preparers	180	1.1	31.06	64,610
Financial specialists, all other	270	1.1	44.07	91,670
(1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_17820.htm. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations may not sum to the totals due to rounding, and because the totals may include occupations that are not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers. (3) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average. (4) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a 'year-round, full-time' hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data. (5) Estimate not released.