Insights / Hardest-to-fill healthcare jobs / Colorado
5 hardest-to-fill healthcare jobs in Colorado
Denver aide pay already looks rich, yet Colorado managers still can't fill that Colorado req.
A Denver director already calls about $38.9K generous, 9% above the national median, for Colorado aides. Denver's aide search still scores 8.2 after Colorado already raised that wage.
Denver's 0.59 share leaves about a third fewer Denver home health aides than a typical metro.
Denver pharmacy technicians still score 7.5, so treat Colorado's backup search as still tight. Colorado's December 2025 openings rate was 3.3, under the U.S. rate of 4.0.
Each occupation and metro
1Home Health and Personal Care AidesDenver, CO
- Score
- 8.2
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.59
- Jobs per 1,000
- 16.239
- Metro median
- $38,900
- U.S. median
- $35,800
- Pay ratio
- 1.09
2Medical AssistantsDenver, CO
- Score
- 7.8
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.76
- Jobs per 1,000
- 4.000
- Metro median
- $49,700
- U.S. median
- $45,690
- Pay ratio
- 1.09
3Medical Records SpecialistsDenver, CO
- Score
- 7.8
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.43
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.538
- Metro median
- $61,240
- U.S. median
- $51,140
- Pay ratio
- 1.20
4Psychiatric TechniciansDenver, CO
- Score
- 7.6
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.64
- Jobs per 1,000
- 0.645
- Metro median
- $50,100
- U.S. median
- $45,130
- Pay ratio
- 1.11
5Pharmacy TechniciansDenver, CO
- Score
- 7.5
- Band
- Hard
- Location quotient
- 0.67
- Jobs per 1,000
- 2.027
- Metro median
- $50,970
- U.S. median
- $45,750
- Pay ratio
- 1.11
Ranked table
Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.
| Rank | Occupation | Metro | Score | Band | Location quotient | Jobs per 1,000 | Metro median | U.S. median | Pay ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home Health and Personal Care Aides | Denver, CO | 8.2 | Hard | 0.59 | 16.239 | $38,900 | $35,800 | 1.09 |
| 2 | Medical Assistants | Denver, CO | 7.8 | Hard | 0.76 | 4.000 | $49,700 | $45,690 | 1.09 |
| 3 | Medical Records Specialists | Denver, CO | 7.8 | Hard | 0.43 | 0.538 | $61,240 | $51,140 | 1.20 |
| 4 | Psychiatric Technicians | Denver, CO | 7.6 | Hard | 0.64 | 0.645 | $50,100 | $45,130 | 1.11 |
| 5 | Pharmacy Technicians | Denver, CO | 7.5 | Hard | 0.67 | 2.027 | $50,970 | $45,750 | 1.11 |
Takeaways
- Denver pharmacy technicians make about $51.0K, which Colorado should not call an easy wage.
- Denver technician pay runs 11% above the national median, and Colorado still feels tight.
- Denver shows 16.239 home health aide jobs per 1,000 Colorado jobs.
- Denver pharmacy technicians at 0.67 run about a third fewer in Colorado than a typical metro.
For recruiters
- Staff Denver aides before Colorado spends another week on a board that Colorado already outgrew.
- Ask Denver technicians what nearby clinics pay before Colorado calls that search a fallback.
- Mark the Colorado wage in the Hiring Pack.
FAQ
- Are these posted wages or open jobs?
- No. The table is a government survey or a designation file.
- What should a recruiter do first?
- Follow the recruiter note on this page.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
The five rows are the five recruiting occupations on the hiring grid whose best scored metro page in Colorado has the highest score. A state with fewer than five scored recruiting occupations is omitted. Pages under 500 local workers are not scored and are not eligible. A metro page is scored only when OEWS employment for that occupation is at least 500. Below that, the page stays up and is left off this ranking. Postsecondary teaching occupations and medical scientists are left off even when they are scored. Nominal weights, before a missing shortage match is rescaled, are projected openings divided by 2025 employment 18%, projected growth 22%, the metro median divided by the U.S. median 40%, how common the occupation is locally compared with the country 8% (the location-quotient column; a lower figure means a thinner local bench), a matching HRSA shortage designation 8%, and statewide all-industry JOLTS for December 2025 4%. Bands are Standard under 4, Elevated from 4 up to 7, and Hard at 7 and above. The Colorado total-nonfarm job openings rate for December 2025 is 3.3. The U.S. rate is 4.0. Both are all-industry JOLTS rates. Rounded figures in the prose: $38,900 is stated as about $38.9K. a comparison of 1.09 is stated as 9 percent. $35,800 is stated as about $35.8K. Rounded figures in the prose: $50,970 is stated as about $51.0K. a comparison of 1.11 is stated as 11 percent.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · May 2025
- BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, total nonfarm · December 2025
Run this opening as a Hiring Pack
The figures above are public statistics. A Hiring Pack starts from the role and the city on the req. One pack is $24.00. Starter is $149 a month for 30 packs and 3 users, Team is $299 for 100 packs and 10 users, and Pro is $699 for 300 packs and 25 users. Annual billing is 20% off, so those monthly prices are $119, $239, and $559. Enterprise is self-serve at $1,499, $2,499, and $3,999 a month.
Your first Hiring Pack each month is free.