BLS OEWS, May 2025

HR manager salary in Denver, CO

What HR managers are paid in Denver, CO, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$170,940

Middle half earn

$137,500 to $210,620

People in this job here

2,540

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Human Resources Managers, Denver, CO, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$109,540
25th percentile
$137,500
Median
$170,940
75th percentile
$210,620
90th percentile
$277,530

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-3121. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How Denver, CO compares

  • The median here is 15% above the national median of $149,280.
  • Denver, CO ranks 7th for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 2,540 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 634 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.5 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

Denver, CO against the national figures
PercentileDenver, CONational
10th percentile$109,540$88,200
25th percentile$137,500$111,110
Median$170,940$149,280
75th percentile$210,620$199,290
90th percentile$277,530$267,810

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-3121. National page for HR managers

By metro

Other metros for HR managers

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in an HR manager

The skills our HR manager resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • Employee relations
  • Performance management
  • Compensation benchmarking
  • Benefits administration
  • FMLA and ADA administration
  • Multi-state compliance
  • Talent acquisition
  • Onboarding programs
  • HRIS administration
  • Workday

See the full HR manager resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $137,500 puts you in the bottom quarter for HR managers in Denver, CO. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $170,940, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $210,620 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Human Resources Managers, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about HR manager pay in Denver, CO

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