Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Floor Layer Salary in Denver
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Construction · COL Index: 128
Floor Layers in Denver, CO earn a median annual wage of $51,460 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $43,000 and the 90th at $60,700. After cost of living, that translates to $40,203 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: F (34/100).
What Floor Layers Take Home in Denver
The $17,700 spread between entry-level and top-decile floor layers in Denver is relatively narrow — about 34% of the median. That tight band usually signals a trade where pay scales primarily with experience rather than employer or specialization. New entrants can expect to climb steadily toward median pay over their first 5-10 years.
With Denver's cost-of-living index of 128, a floor layer earning $51,460 here translates to about $40,203 in U.S.-average purchasing power. That is a meaningful but manageable adjustment — the metro's higher pay typically clears the cost-of-living gap with room to spare in skilled trades.
With a Trade Pay Score of 34 (F), this trade-city pairing is below average. That typically reflects either weak nominal wages, sluggish 5-year wage growth, a high cost of living that hollows out real pay, or some combination. Workers should examine both the per-trade page (other cities for the same trade) and the per-city page (other trades in the same metro) to find a stronger fit.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $43,000 | $33,594 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $47,110 | $36,805 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $51,460 | $40,203 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $58,070 | $45,367 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $60,700 | $47,422 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for floor layers, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Denver are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Floor Layer make in Denver?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median floor layer salary in Denver, CO is $51,460. The 10th percentile is $43,000 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $60,700 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Denver pay compare for Floor Layers?
With a Trade Pay Score of 34/100 and a grade of F, the Denver-Floor Layer pairing is below average — workers should consider whether a different metro for the same trade might deliver a higher grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Floor Layers in Denver?
Floor Layers typically complete a 3-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($43,000) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Floor Layer pay in Denver?
Denver has a cost-of-living index of 128. The median floor layer salary of $51,460 translates to $40,203 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Floor Layers in Denver, CO earn a median annual wage of $51,460 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $43,000 and the 90th at $60,700. After cost of living, that translates to $40,203 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: F (34/100).
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. trades, cities, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.