SOC 15-1243

Data Engineer Salary in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO (2026)

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + CO
COL Index: 129.41 (+29.4% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 68.7% Realized
$91,326 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $133,020 $63.95/hr
Effective Tax Drag 25.34% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 24% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$33,713 $1,296.64/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $63.95 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$7,981/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$1,915/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$18,743
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$8,247
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$1,929
Colorado Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$4,793
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$91,326 ($3,512.54 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Data Engineer Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $133,020
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $89.2k 25th $119k Median: $133,020 50th (Median) $133k 75th $171k 90th $189k You: $133,020
10th (Entry) $89,200 $42.88/hr
25th (Junior) $118,580 $57.01/hr
50th (Median) $133,020 $63.95/hr
75th (Senior) $170,600 $82.02/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $188,730 $90.74/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Data Engineer in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
1
Associate Data EngineerPython, SQL, ETL scripting, data warehouse basics
$84,866$40.80/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Data EngineerSpark, Kafka, dbt, columnar storage optimization, orchestration
$125,868$60.51/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Senior Data EngineerReal-time stream architecture, lakehouse design, data quality frameworks
$160,196$77.02/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Staff Data ArchitectEnterprise data platform strategy, distributed storage scaling
$195,477$93.98/hr · 8+ Years
Scaled to the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO medianView National Data Engineer Salary Data
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
21% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $1,589/month Requires minimum annual gross of $63,560
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,759/month Requires minimum annual gross of $70,360
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $28.62/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $26.01/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$133,020-$33,713$91,326$3,512.54
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$157,961-$42,279$106,205$4,084.79
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$182,903-$50,845$121,083$4,657.04
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$207,844-$58,035$137,338$5,282.24
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$232,785-$65,355$153,463$5,902.43
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Data Engineer in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and Colorado tax codes.

Market Baseline
$133,020/yr
$63.95/hr · SOC 15-1243
Statutory Tax Drag
25.34% Effective
-$33,713 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
21% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$6,022/mo
Post-$1,589/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 15-1243
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Data Engineer in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO: Market Snapshot

Data Engineer roles in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO report a median annual wage of $133,020, 4.6% below the national median of $139,500. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $89,200 to $188,730, and HUD’s $1,589 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 14.3% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $28.62 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Data Engineer

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$197,960+48.8%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$175,860+32.2%
Reno, NV$170,390+28.1%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$169,310+27.3%
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$168,390+26.6%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$163,590+23.0%
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$163,350+22.8%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$162,870+22.4%
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$162,640+22.3%
Springfield, MA$161,730+21.6%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Sales Managers$198,550$95.46/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$195,190$93.84/hr
Marketing Managers$189,690$91.20/hr
Financial Manager$175,890$84.56/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$175,380$84.32/hr
Purchasing Managers$171,280$82.35/hr
Human Resources Managers$156,820$75.39/hr
Natural Sciences Managers$152,730$73.43/hr
Administrative Services Managers$146,600$70.48/hr
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$144,910$69.67/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 132 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Data Engineer Salary in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO (2026) Overview

Data Engineer median pay in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is $133,020 a year ($63.95/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Data Engineer in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Data Engineer in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO?

The median annual wage is $133,020 ($63.95 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $89,200 and $188,730. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Data Engineer in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO after taxes?

On the median wage of $133,020, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $97,041 a year ($8,087 a month) after $35,979 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 27.05%, using 2026 tax rules.