Childcare Worker Salary in Denver, CO (2026)
Median in Denver: $21.31/hour ($44,320/year) — $9,340 (27%) above the national median. Typical range: $39,400–$46,610.
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Denver, CO metro · refreshed 2026-08-25 · Reviewed by Dalton Metzler · U.S. Childcare Worker salary overview
The median Childcare Worker salary in Denver, CO is $21.31/hour ($44,320/year) ($9,340 (27%) above the national median), with a typical range of $39,400–$46,610. Data from BLS + Jobeezy ghost-filter (2026).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median | $21.31/hour ($44,320/year) | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| 25th-75th pct | $39,400–$46,610 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
| Metro employment | ~7,870 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
Childcare Worker pay distribution in Denver, CO
National median: $34,980/yr. Denver is $9,340 (27%) above the national median.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 — Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (SOC 39-9011, Childcare Worker).
What childcare worker pay in Denver really looks like
Denver is a standout-pay market for childcare workers. The local median of about $21.31 an hour ($44,320 a year) runs $9,340 (27%) above the national median of $34,980, one of the widest premiums in the country for this occupation. Offers benchmarked to U.S.-wide averages will read far too low here — hold out for the local number, and treat the metro median as your floor, not your target.
Pay is tightly clustered here: the 25th-to-75th-percentile band runs just $39,400 to $46,610 (BLS). A narrow spread means the metro median is a dependable expectation rather than a midpoint between wildly different jobs — there is little room above it without a credential, a specialty, or a supervisory step, so the ladder up is about the role, not just the employer.
This is a substantial local market: BLS estimates roughly 7,870 childcare worker jobs across the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (a count of metro employment, not a survey of reported salaries). A deep employer base is good news for pay — it means more openings to compare side by side, more turnover creating vacancies, and more leverage to hold out for an employer at the top of the local range instead of settling for the first offer that lands.
Right now, Jobeezy is tracking 24 open childcare worker jobs in Denver against the BLS $44,320 benchmark — the live listings and the employers hiring are below, so you can see which openings actually clear the metro median before you apply.
Put it together and the picture for Denver is concrete: a metro median of $44,320 with most childcare workers landing between $39,400 and $46,610. The practical move is to aim for the upper half of that band. Jobeezy fit-scores local childcare worker openings, surfaces the employers posting toward $46,610, and applies for you — so your time goes to the jobs that clear the Denver median, not the ones that sit under it.
Childcare Worker pay by hour, week, month & year in Denver
| Period | Typical Pay |
|---|---|
| Per hour | $21.31 |
| Per week (40 hrs) | $852 |
| Per month | $3,693 |
| Per year | $44,320 |
How we know this — Denver sources
Wage figures for Childcare Worker in Denver, CO are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimate for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (MSA code 19740) (SOC 39-9011), released 2026-08-25. Suppressed cells are shown as an em dash, never a zero.
Grow your childcare worker pay in Denver
Advancing your pay in Denver comes down to experience, credentials, and how you negotiate. We keep that guidance on the national Childcare Worker guide so it stays current in one place:
Compare Childcare Worker pay in nearby metros
Related roles in Denver
Beyond Childcare Worker · same Denver BLS datasetOther roles hiring in Denver, CO alongside childcare workers, drawn from the same BLS OEWS May 2025 dataset:
- 01Denver · CO · median $101,130Registered Nurse pay in Denver
- 02Denver · CO · median $80,650Sales Representative pay in Denver
- 03Denver · CO · median $142,330Operations Manager pay in Denver
- 04Denver · CO · median $97,290Logistics Coordinator pay in Denver
- 05Denver · CO · median $69,250Warehouse Supervisor pay in Denver
- 06Denver · CO · median $113,760Dental Hygienist pay in Denver
- 07Denver · CO · median $49,700Medical Assistant pay in Denver
- 08Denver · CO · median $63,150Electrician pay in Denver
Childcare Worker pay in Denver, CO — common questions
- How much does a Childcare Worker make in Denver, CO?
- The median Childcare Worker salary in Denver, CO is $21.31/hour ($44,320/year) ($9,340 (27%) above the national median), with a typical range of $39,400–$46,610 (25th–75th percentile). Figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-08-25.
- Is Denver a strong pay market for Childcare Workers?
- At a $44,320 median, Denver is $9,340 (27%) above the national median. The U.S. median is $34,980. Jobeezy shows you which local employers actually pay at the top of that band before you apply.
- How can I earn more as a Childcare Worker in Denver?
- Target employers paying toward the $46,610 (75th-percentile) mark and anchor your negotiation to the BLS band. Jobeezy fit-scores Childcare Worker openings in Denver and auto-applies, so you reach more high-paying employers fast.
- How many Childcare Workers work in Denver?
- BLS estimates roughly 7,870 childcare worker jobs across Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO (May 2025 metro employment — a count of jobs, not of salaries reported).