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)
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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)
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