IT Manager Salary in Colorado (2026)
Average IT Manager pay in Colorado
$202,500/year
≈ $97/hour before tax
After tax (single filer)
$142,567/year
$11,881/month · effective tax rate 29.6%
- Federal $37,334
- State $8,202
- FICA $14,398
- Take-home
Pay by role in Colorado
- IT Director / CIO / VP EngineeringBLS · 75th–90th percentile$229,350–$293,250
- IT / Engineering Manager (any employer)BLS · middle 50%$162,070–$229,350
See the full tax breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $142,567 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $11,881 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $5,483 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $69/hr |
Federal Tax | $37,334 |
State Tax | $8,202 |
FICA Taxes | $14,398 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 29.6% |
Not all IT Managers earn the same — not even close
Colorado's IT management market is anchored by UCHealth IT (Denver-area ~30K employees, academic medical center IT), Lockheed Martin Space Systems Denver (the country's largest space technology employer, ~14K Denver-area employees including substantial cleared IT), DaVita HQ Denver (Fortune 500 dialysis, ~25K global employees), Ball Aerospace Boulder, Charter Communications HQ Denver-area, Western Union Englewood, plus the substantial Front Range data center cluster build-out. Aurora + Boulder + Colorado Springs round out the regional IT employer mix.
IT Director / CIO / VP Engineering
$229,350–$293,250
DaVita CIO · UCHealth CIO · Charter Communications senior IT · executive comp + equity
Source: BLS May 2025 · Computer and Information Systems Managers · Colorado · 75th–90th percentile
IT / Engineering Manager (any employer)
$162,070–$229,350
Functional IT management at mid-cap CO firms · transitioning to senior IT band
Source: BLS May 2025 · Computer and Information Systems Managers · Colorado · middle 50%
Worth knowing: Lockheed Martin Space Systems Denver is the structural depth feature most national IT-management surveys understate for CO. Lockheed Space (Fortune 100 defense, ~14K Denver-area employees, the country's largest space technology employer by employee count) operates substantial classified IT + space systems engineering + satellite operations IT at the Waterton Canyon + Deer Creek campuses (south of Denver). Senior cleared IT managers at Lockheed Space + Ball Aerospace Boulder + Northrop Grumman + Raytheon Aurora routinely clear $185-295K TC with TS/SCI clearance premium. DaVita HQ Denver (Fortune 500 dialysis, ~25K global employees) operates substantial HIPAA-compliant healthcare IT. UCHealth IT (the University of Colorado-affiliated health system, ~30K employees including the Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora flagship) anchors academic medical center IT leadership. The Front Range data center cluster (Microsoft Sherman/Castle Rock, Google Pueblo, AWS expanding) drives mission-critical data center IT leadership. CO's 4.4% flat tax (post-Prop 121; tax year 2025 ran temporarily at 4.25% via TABOR) plus TABOR refunds returning $400-1,200 in good years plus 0.55% effective property tax creates an unusually favorable senior-IT tax structure. No state estate tax. The combined effective at $185K senior IT manager comp in CO is 4.4% with TABOR rebate offset — substantially better than peer-state IL or NM.
Sources & Methodology
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 — 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction
- →IRS Notice 2025-67 — 2026 retirement-plan contribution limits
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19 — 2026 HSA contribution limits
- →Social Security Administration — 2026 Social Security wage base
- →DR 0104 Individual Income Tax Booklet (CO Department of Revenue)
- →BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — IT Manager wage data for Colorado
Salary figures are market estimates for IT Managers in Colorado and vary by employer, specialty, seniority, and metro. Take-home math assumes a single filer with no dependents, the standard deduction, and Colorado 2026 state rates. Local taxes, insurance premiums, and pre-tax contributions will move your number — run the calculator for your own situation.
Run your own numbers
- Colorado paycheck calculator → · 401(k), HSA, dependents
- Bonus calculator → · year-end, sign-on, retention
- RSU calculator → · flat 22% withholding often falls short
- Capital-gains calculator → · long-term rates, NIIT, state tax
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about your taxes and our calculator.
Compare Two States
See how income tax, take-home pay, and total tax burden differ between any two US states side by side.
State 1
State 2