Side-by-side distribution
California
$155,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 73.5%
- Live roles
- 13,968
Denver
$125,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 70%
- Live roles
- 2,843
Highest-paying jobs
Wholesale Account Executive, National
Senior Product Sourcing Engineer, Autonomous Airpower
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Account Director - Growth Marketing (Paid Social)
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Strategic Account Executive - San Francisco (Remote)
Strategic Account Executive - Southern California (Remote)
Create Your Own Role
Analog Mixed-Signal Design Engineer
Director / VP Sales
Highest-paying jobs
S&T Market Leader I
HVAC Comfort Advisor
Education Market Leader I
Executive Operations & Advancement Associate at Hillel of Colorado
Senior Account Executive, Startups (Denver)
Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) – Private Equity Principal
Principal/Partner - Forensic Accounting & Litigation Support
Relief Registered Veterinary Technician - Cherry Creek
Outpatient Psychiatrist
Regional Medical Director - Psychiatrist
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 1,244 |
Databricks
|
$216,104 | 282 |
Relativity Space
|
$165,000 | 231 |
NoGigiddy
|
$43,680 | 200 |
Cheer Home Care
|
$44,720 | 178 |
Revolution Medicines
|
$209,500 | 165 |
Archer
|
$171,100 | 153 |
ALO
|
$79,175 | 143 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Esri
|
$135,200 | 141 |
Crusoe
|
$159,185 | 60 |
Fivetran
|
$203,643 | 54 |
Xometry
|
$99,000 | 45 |
DoorDash USA
|
$130,200 | 43 |
Gusto, Inc.
|
$146,750 | 42 |
| TA True Anomaly | $169,760 | 40 |
Datadog
|
$117,500 | 37 |
Highest-paying roles in California
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| DevOps | $185,788 | 242 |
| Software Engineer | $185,575 | 2,504 |
| Recruiter | $180,000 | 1,007 |
| Data Scientist | $176,801 | 167 |
| Product Manager | $170,000 | 1,567 |
| Customer Success | $169,000 | 1,939 |
| UX Designer | $165,000 | 33 |
| Sales | $150,000 | 2,083 |
| Project Manager | $148,625 | 944 |
| Marketing Manager | $138,588 | 686 |
Highest-paying roles in Denver
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $187,500 | 6 |
| UX Designer | $171,500 | 12 |
| DevOps | $161,000 | 67 |
| Recruiter | $158,679 | 256 |
| Software Engineer | $155,000 | 331 |
| Product Manager | $145,000 | 345 |
| Customer Success | $136,084 | 688 |
| Marketing Manager | $135,968 | 236 |
| Sales | $135,200 | 781 |
| Project Manager | $127,500 | 233 |
California vs Denver: which pays more?
The median for California is $155,000 per year (typically $100,000–$200,000), versus $125,000 for Denver ($80,000–$175,000). That puts California about 24% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so California and Denver are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.