SOC 27-1012 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Craft Artists — Denver
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
Median pay for this occupation in Denver, CO comes to $53,680 a year, ahead of the national median of $46,080 by 16.5%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +2.1%
- Openings per year
- 1,000
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
62.6% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
Median pay for this occupation in Denver, CO comes to $53,680 a year, ahead of the national median of $46,080 by 16.5%. Pay ranges from under $40,640 at the tenth percentile to more than $58,660 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $44,600 to $58,660.
Of the 648 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 455th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $40,640 | −11.8% |
| 25th | $44,600 | −3.2% |
| Median (50th) | $53,680 | +16.5% |
| 75th | $58,660 | +27.3% |
| 90th | $58,660 | +27.3% |
| Mean | $52,370 | +13.7% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Denver run 5.8% above the national average, so the median of $53,680 buys what $50,737 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 10.1% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$53,680as reported by BLSLocal price level
105.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$50,737US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $53,680 a year, 16.5% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $40,640 to $58,660 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Craft Artists in Denver, CO?
The median annual wage is $53,680, or $25.81 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $46,080, so pay in Denver, CO is 16.5% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Denver, CO earns more than $58,660 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $40,640 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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