Denver Salaries: What 2018 College Grads Can Make for 10 Different Jobs

The average starting salary for a 2018 college graduate who lands a job in Denver is just over $53,000, according to a new study. The total is a bit higher than the national average, and that’s also the case for average salaries in ten specific professions. However, wages are currently higher in seven of nine other major cities analyzed as part of the report, as seen by data shared here.

The facts were collected by Korn Ferry, a global organizational consulting firm, and based on the remuneration for 310,000 entry level gigs at around 1,000 organizations across the country. The nationwide average salary came in at $50,390, about 2.8 percent higher than the $49,000 figure from 2017. But since inflation continues to hover around 2 percent, the resulting wages are close to unchanged.

In Denver, the current average for just-hired new college graduates is $10,000-plus lower than in San Francisco, which notched $63,995, and $7K less than the $60,972 in New York City (of course, the cost of living is much higher in both places), but above Dallas ($50,743) and Atlanta ($49,584).

These differences remain consistent in additional statistics that Korn Ferry provided to Westword about the salaries for accountants, call center specialists, claims examiners, customer service representatives, engineers, graphic designers, insurance underwriters, registered nurses, scientist/researchers and software developers. In each case, pay in Denver is higher than the national average in each job but below SF, NYC, Boston, L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis.

Continue to see the salary amounts for the jobs in all ten cities, including Denver, with rankings in parentheses

Accountant

Graduate base salary: $48,000

Atlanta: $47,232 (10)
Boston: $56,640 (3)
Chicago: $52,560 (5)
Dallas: $48,336 (9)
Los Angeles: $53,712 (4)
Minneapolis: $51,216 (7)
New York: $58,080 (2)
Philadelphia: $51,600 (6)
San Francisco: $60,960 (1)
Denver: $50,496 (8)

Call Center Specialist

Graduate base salary: $42,224

Atlanta: $41,548 (10)
Boston: $49,824 (3)
Chicago: $46,235 (5)
Dallas: $42,520 (9)
Los Angeles: $47,249 (4)
Minneapolis: $45,053 (7)
New York: $51,091 (2)
Philadelphia: $45,391 (6)
San Francisco: $53,624 (1)
Denver: $44,420 (8)

Claims Examiner

Graduate base salary: $39,978

Atlanta: $39,338 (10)
Boston: $47,174 (3)
Chicago: $43,776 (5)
Dallas: $40,258 (9)
Los Angeles: $44,735 (4)
Minneapolis: $42,657 (7)
New York: $48,373 (2)
Philadelphia: $42,976 (6)
San Francisco: $50,772 (1)
Denver: $42,057 (8)

Customer Service Representative

Graduate base salary: $35,360

Atlanta: $34,794 (10)
Boston: $41,725 (3)
Chicago: $38,719 (5)
Dallas: $35,608 (9)
Los Angeles: $39,568 (4)
Minneapolis: $37,729 (7)
New York: $42,786 (2)
Philadelphia: $38,012 (6)
San Francisco: $44,907 (1)
Denver: $37,199 (8)

Engineer

Graduate base salary: $64,066

Atlanta: $63,041 (10)
Boston: $75,598 (3)
Chicago: $70,152 (5)
Dallas: $64,514 (9)
Los Angeles: $71,690 (4)
Minneapolis: $68,358 (7)
New York: $77,520 (2)
Philadelphia: $68,871 (6)
San Francisco: $81,364 (1)
Denver: $67,397 (8)

Graphic Designer

Graduate base salary: $47,480

Atlanta: $46,720 (10)
Boston: $56,026 (3)
Chicago: $51,991 (5)
Dallas: $47,812 (9)
Los Angeles: $53,130 (4)
Minneapolis: $50,661 (7)
New York: $57,451 (2)
Philadelphia: $51,041 (6)
San Francisco: $60,300 (1)
Denver: $49,949 (8)

Insurance Underwriter

Graduate base salary: $51,578

Atlanta: $50,735 (10)
Boston: $60,862 (3)
Chicago: $56,478 (5)
Dallas: $51,939 (9)
Los Angeles: $57,716 (4)
Minneapolis: $55,034 (7)
New York: $62,409 (2)
Philadelphia: $55,446 (6)
San Francisco: $65,504 (1)
Denver: $54,260 (8)

Registered Nurse

Graduate base salary: $54,454

Atlanta: $53,583 (10)
Boston: $64,256 (3)
Chicago: $59,268 (5)
Dallas: $54,836 (9)
Los Angeles: $60,934 (4)
Minneapolis: $58,013 (7)
New York: $65,890 (2)
Philadelphia: $58,538 (6)
San Francisco: $69,157 (1)
Denver: $57,286 (8)

Scientist/Researcher

Graduate base salary: $60,117

Atlanta: $59,155 (10)
Boston: $70,938 (3)
Chicago: $65,828 (5)
Dallas: $60,538 (9)
Los Angeles: $67,271 (4)
Minneapolis: $64,145 (7)
New York: $72,742 (2)
Philadelphia: $64,626 (6)
San Francisco: $76,349 (1)
Denver: $63,243 (8)

Software Developer

Graduate base salary: $67,236

Atlanta: $66,160 (10)
Boston: $79,338 (3)
Chicago: $73,623 (5)
Dallas: $67,607 (9)
Los Angeles: $75,237 (4)
Minneapolis: $71,741 (7)
New York: $81,356 (2)
Philadelphia: $72,279 (6)
San Francisco: $85,390 (1)
Denver: $70,732 (8)