City market profile

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO OT job market

Compare Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO using BLS occupational therapist wage, employment, density, and concentration data from the May 2025 OEWS release.

Metro rank #24$110,720 mean wage1,870 OT jobs1.11 location quotient

Market snapshot

How Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO compares for occupational therapists

The OT Index city score balances pay, role depth, role density, and occupational concentration. Raw source measures stay visible so the score can be audited.

Mean wage$110,720BLS OEWS mean annual wage for occupational therapists.
Employment1,870Estimated occupational therapist jobs in the metro.
Density1.16OT jobs per 1,000 local jobs.
Concentration1.11Location quotient versus the national labor market.

Decision snapshot

Should Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO be on your OT market shortlist?

Use the metro rank to frame the opportunity, then verify the employers, settings, commute, and cost profile that affect day-to-day fit.

Best for

  • OTs comparing a top-25 metro market with rank #24 in the current release.
  • Clinicians who want a deeper local job base with 1,870 estimated OT jobs.
  • Readers comparing Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO against the broader Colorado state-market profile.

Watch closely

  • Metro wage data does not adjust for rent, taxes, commute time, benefits, productivity model, or caseload mix.
  • A deeper job base still needs setting-level review because hospitals, schools, SNFs, and home health can feel very different.
  • A strong concentration signal can still hide weak fit if the best employers are outside your commute radius.

Ask before deciding

  • Which employers and settings drive OT hiring in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO?
  • How does take-home pay look after rent, commute time, benefits, and productivity expectations?
  • Are there enough mentors, specialty roles, and fieldwork or referral networks for your career stage?

Methodology

Why this metro scores where it does

Metro rankings are most useful when the score is read beside the raw measures. A high-wage city can still have a shallow market, while a dense market can still have weaker pay.

Mean annual wage40%

BLS OEWS mean annual wage for the metro.

Employment depth25%

Log-scaled employment count so deeper markets count without letting the largest metros dominate.

Employment density20%

Occupational therapist jobs per 1,000 local jobs.

Job concentration15%

BLS location quotient, used as a local concentration signal versus the national labor market.

Nearby comparisons

Other Colorado metro markets

Compare this metro against nearby labor markets before using a single city score to make a relocation or negotiation decision.

MetroScoreMean wageEmployment
Colorado Springs, CO

Rank #18; 1.58 LQ

59.6$111,980520
Boulder, CO

Rank #22; 1.31 LQ

58.5$123,360260
Grand Junction, CO

Rank #50; 1.52 LQ

51.2$109,880110
Greeley, CO

Rank #77; 0.94 LQ

48.3$120,290120
Pueblo, CO

Rank #160; 0.92 LQ

41.2$112,63060