NextChapter

Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mountain West

Denver has the most software and engineering openings in the Mountain West: 766 openings, in a market where engineering is 33% of openings across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Denver, CO: 766 openings
  • #2 Colorado Springs, CO: 362 openings
  • #3 Salt Lake City, UT: 278 openings
  • 22 cities ranked in the Mountain West
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 33% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Denver CO766 openings
  2. 2Colorado Springs CO362 openings
  3. 3Salt Lake City UT278 openings
  4. 4Boulder CO224 openings
  5. 5Littleton CO191 openings
  6. 6Aurora CO135 openings
  7. 7Westminster CO135 openings
  8. 8Broomfield CO133 openings
  9. 9Las Vegas NV128 openings
  10. 10Boise ID116 openings

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Denver (766 openings) is well clear of Boise at #10 (116 openings).
  • Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 766 engineering openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Denver CO

    766 openings

    Share of all openings
    27%
    Median engineering pay
    $147k
    All openings
    2,885

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 766 engineering openings.

  2. 2

    Colorado Springs CO

    362 openings

    Share of all openings
    52%
    Median engineering pay
    $118k
    All openings
    691

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 362 engineering openings.

  3. 3

    Salt Lake City UT

    278 openings

    Share of all openings
    27%
    Median engineering pay
    $130k
    All openings
    1,045

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 278 engineering openings.

  4. 4

    Boulder CO

    224 openings

    Share of all openings
    53%
    Median engineering pay
    $149k
    All openings
    425

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing

    Based on 224 engineering openings.

  5. 5

    Littleton CO

    191 openings

    Share of all openings
    70%
    Median engineering pay
    $145k
    All openings
    271

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Services

    Based on 191 engineering openings.

  6. 6

    Aurora CO

    135 openings

    Share of all openings
    41%
    Median engineering pay
    $146k
    All openings
    333

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX

    Based on 135 engineering openings.

  7. 7

    Westminster CO

    135 openings

    Share of all openings
    53%
    Median engineering pay
    $152k
    All openings
    257

    Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro

    Based on 135 engineering openings.

  8. 8

    Broomfield CO

    133 openings

    Share of all openings
    47%
    Median engineering pay
    $167k
    All openings
    285

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures

    Based on 133 engineering openings.

  9. 9

    Las Vegas NV

    128 openings

    Share of all openings
    14%
    Median engineering pay
    $119k
    All openings
    917

    Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4

    Based on 128 engineering openings.

  10. 10

    Boise ID

    116 openings

    Share of all openings
    33%
    Median engineering pay
    $140k
    All openings
    354

    Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

    Based on 116 engineering openings.

  11. 11

    Englewood CO

    90 openings

    Share of all openings
    36%
    Median engineering pay
    $107k
    All openings
    249

    Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin

    Based on 90 engineering openings.

  12. 12

    Fort Collins CO

    78 openings

    Share of all openings
    46%
    Median engineering pay
    $129k
    All openings
    169

    Hiring most here: Broadcom, Anduril Industries, Advanced Energy

    Based on 78 engineering openings.

  13. 13

    Reno NV

    72 openings

    Share of all openings
    24%
    Median engineering pay
    $138k
    All openings
    299

    Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment

    Based on 72 engineering openings.

  14. 14

    Louisville CO

    68 openings

    Share of all openings
    54%
    Median engineering pay
    $130k
    All openings
    125

    Hiring most here: Infleqtion, Garmin, Arcfield

    Based on 68 engineering openings.

  15. 15

    Longmont CO

    58 openings

    Share of all openings
    60%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    96

    Hiring most here: Sens Usa, Blue Origin, Ursa Major Technologies

    Based on 58 engineering openings.

  16. 16

    Lehi UT

    55 openings

    Share of all openings
    22%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    254

    Hiring most here: Pattern, Podium, Weave

    Based on 55 engineering openings.

  17. 17

    Centennial CO

    53 openings

    Share of all openings
    34%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    157

    Hiring most here: United Launch Alliance, Mastec, American Civil Constructors

    Based on 53 engineering openings.

  18. 18

    Sparks NV

    49 openings

    Share of all openings
    40%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    121

    Hiring most here: Panasonic Energy North America, Amazon, Fleet

    Based on 49 engineering openings.

  19. 19

    Lone Tree CO

    35 openings

    Share of all openings
    56%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    63

    Hiring most here: Kiewit Infrastructure South, Charles Schwab, Kiewit

    Based on 35 engineering openings.

  20. 20

    Golden CO

    34 openings

    Share of all openings
    40%
    Median engineering pay
    $150k
    All openings
    84

    Hiring most here: Loft Orbital, Alliance for Sustainable Energy, McKinstry

    Based on 34 engineering openings.

  21. 21

    Greenwood Village CO

    32 openings

    Share of all openings
    20%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    157

    Hiring most here: CoBank ACB, Charter Communications, Black & Veatch

    Based on 32 engineering openings.

  22. 22

    Ogden UT

    30 openings

    Share of all openings
    36%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    83

    Hiring most here: Dark Wolf Solutions

    Based on 30 engineering openings.

Full ranking

All 22 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Denver CO766 openings766
2Colorado Springs CO362 openings362
3Salt Lake City UT278 openings278
4Boulder CO224 openings224
5Littleton CO191 openings191
6Aurora CO135 openings135
7Westminster CO135 openings135
8Broomfield CO133 openings133
9Las Vegas NV128 openings128
10Boise ID116 openings116
11Englewood CO90 openings90
12Fort Collins CO78 openings78
13Reno NV72 openings72
14Louisville CO68 openings68
15Longmont CO58 openings58
16Lehi UT55 openings55
17Centennial CO53 openings53
18Sparks NV49 openings49
19Lone Tree CO35 openings35
20Golden CO34 openings34
21Greenwood Village CO32 openings32
22Ogden UT30 openings30

How this ranking works

A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering.

Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best cities for software and engineering jobs in the mountain west?
Denver has the most software and engineering openings in the Mountain West: 766 openings, in a market where engineering is 33% of openings across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
22 cities have at least 30 engineering openings, so the list has 22 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering. Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-the-mountain-west

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-the-mountain-west">Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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