{"h1":"Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mountain West","faq":[{"a":"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.","q":"Which city ranks first: best cities for software and engineering jobs in the mountain west?"},{"a":"22 cities have at least 30 engineering openings, so the list has 22 entries.","q":"How many cities are ranked?"},{"a":"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.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"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.","minN":30,"rows":[{"n":766,"key":"CO|denver","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/denver","name":"Denver","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"27%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$147k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"2,885"}],"value":766,"change":null,"employers":["True Anomaly","Blue Origin","Amazon"],"valueLabel":"766 openings"},{"n":362,"key":"CO|colorado springs","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/colorado-springs","name":"Colorado Springs","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"52%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$118k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"691"}],"value":362,"change":null,"employers":["Northrop Grumman","Trinzic","Odyssey Systems Consulting"],"valueLabel":"362 openings"},{"n":278,"key":"UT|salt lake city","sub":"UT","href":"/places/utah/city/salt-lake-city","name":"Salt Lake City","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"27%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$130k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"1,045"}],"value":278,"change":null,"employers":["L3HARRIS Technologies","iCapital","Harris Health Strategic Fund"],"valueLabel":"278 openings"},{"n":224,"key":"CO|boulder","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/boulder","name":"Boulder","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"53%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$149k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"425"}],"value":224,"change":null,"employers":["BAE Systems","Scitec Innovations","Atom Computing"],"valueLabel":"224 openings"},{"n":191,"key":"CO|littleton","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/littleton","name":"Littleton","rank":5,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"70%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$145k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"271"}],"value":191,"change":null,"employers":["Lockheed Martin","Sikorsky Aircraft","Lockheed Martin Services"],"valueLabel":"191 openings"},{"n":135,"key":"CO|aurora","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/aurora","name":"Aurora","rank":6,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"41%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$146k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"333"}],"value":135,"change":null,"employers":["CACI International","Northrop Grumman","RTX"],"valueLabel":"135 openings"},{"n":135,"key":"CO|westminster","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/westminster","name":"Westminster","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"53%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$152k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"257"}],"value":135,"change":null,"employers":["CesiumAstro","BAE Systems","Loenbro"],"valueLabel":"135 openings"},{"n":133,"key":"CO|broomfield","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/broomfield","name":"Broomfield","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"47%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$167k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"285"}],"value":133,"change":null,"employers":["BAE Systems","Crocs","Katalyst Ventures"],"valueLabel":"133 openings"},{"n":128,"key":"NV|las vegas","sub":"NV","href":"/places/nevada/city/las-vegas","name":"Las Vegas","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"14%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$119k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"917"}],"value":128,"change":null,"employers":["Caesars Entertainment","Allegiant Travel Company","Jt4"],"valueLabel":"128 openings"},{"n":116,"key":"ID|boise","sub":"ID","href":null,"name":"Boise","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"33%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$140k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"354"}],"value":116,"change":null,"employers":["Simplot Company Foundation","Micron Technology","Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories"],"valueLabel":"116 openings"},{"n":90,"key":"CO|englewood","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/englewood","name":"Englewood","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"36%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$107k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"249"}],"value":90,"change":null,"employers":["General Atomics","Sargent & Lundy","Lockheed Martin"],"valueLabel":"90 openings"},{"n":78,"key":"CO|fort collins","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/fort-collins","name":"Fort Collins","rank":12,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"46%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$129k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"169"}],"value":78,"change":null,"employers":["Broadcom","Anduril Industries","Advanced Energy"],"valueLabel":"78 openings"},{"n":72,"key":"NV|reno","sub":"NV","href":"/places/nevada/city/reno","name":"Reno","rank":13,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"24%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$138k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"299"}],"value":72,"change":null,"employers":["IGT","Amperesand","Caesars Entertainment"],"valueLabel":"72 openings"},{"n":68,"key":"CO|louisville","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/louisville","name":"Louisville","rank":14,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"54%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$130k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"125"}],"value":68,"change":null,"employers":["Infleqtion","Garmin","Arcfield"],"valueLabel":"68 openings"},{"n":58,"key":"CO|longmont","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/longmont","name":"Longmont","rank":15,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"60%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"All openings","value":"96"}],"value":58,"change":null,"employers":["Sens Usa","Blue Origin","Ursa Major Technologies"],"valueLabel":"58 openings"},{"n":55,"key":"UT|lehi","sub":"UT","href":"/places/utah/city/lehi","name":"Lehi","rank":16,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"22%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"All openings","value":"254"}],"value":55,"change":null,"employers":["Pattern","Podium","Weave"],"valueLabel":"55 openings"},{"n":53,"key":"CO|centennial","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/centennial","name":"Centennial","rank":17,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"34%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"All openings","value":"157"}],"value":53,"change":null,"employers":["United Launch Alliance","Mastec","American Civil Constructors"],"valueLabel":"53 openings"},{"n":49,"key":"NV|sparks","sub":"NV","href":"/places/nevada/city/sparks","name":"Sparks","rank":18,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"40%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"All openings","value":"121"}],"value":49,"change":null,"employers":["Panasonic Energy North America","Amazon","Fleet"],"valueLabel":"49 openings"},{"n":35,"key":"CO|lone tree","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/lone-tree","name":"Lone Tree","rank":19,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"56%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"All openings","value":"63"}],"value":35,"change":null,"employers":["Kiewit Infrastructure South","Charles Schwab","Kiewit"],"valueLabel":"35 openings"},{"n":34,"key":"CO|golden","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/golden","name":"Golden","rank":20,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"40%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"$150k"},{"label":"All openings","value":"84"}],"value":34,"change":null,"employers":["Loft Orbital","Alliance for Sustainable Energy","McKinstry"],"valueLabel":"34 openings"},{"n":32,"key":"CO|greenwood village","sub":"CO","href":null,"name":"Greenwood Village","rank":21,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"20%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"All openings","value":"157"}],"value":32,"change":null,"employers":["CoBank ACB","Charter Communications","Black & Veatch"],"valueLabel":"32 openings"},{"n":30,"key":"UT|ogden","sub":"UT","href":"/places/utah/city/ogden","name":"Ogden","rank":22,"stats":[{"label":"Share of all openings","value":"36%"},{"label":"Median engineering pay","value":"Not enough pay data"},{"label":"All openings","value":"83"}],"value":30,"change":null,"employers":["Dark Wolf Solutions"],"valueLabel":"30 openings"}],"slug":"best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-the-mountain-west","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"mountain-west","kind":"region","name":"Mountain West"},"title":"Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mountain West","family":"Work style","method":["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."],"builtAt":"2026-11-02T22:01:52.820Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"swe","sources":["NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week"],"baseline":{"label":"all cities in our data","valueLabel":"33%"},"keyFacts":["#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"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["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."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-the-mountain-west"}