This page is built from the open postings on hospital and health-system career sites in Colorado listed on Betterleap's job board: 2,262 open positions from 57 employers as of October 26, 2026, 1.1% of all open postings on the board, which ranks Colorado #30 of 51 states. Registered nurses are 50.1% of the state's postings (464). Every figure below is a count or a posted pay range, never a job description; the method is at the end.
Where the jobs are in Colorado
| # | City | Open postings | of which RN | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver, CO | 665 | 123 | 13 |
| 2 | Almont, CO | 547 | 46 | 26 |
| 3 | Grand Junction, CO | 144 | 36 | 4 |
| 4 | Lakewood, CO | 88 | 32 | 3 |
| 5 | Littleton, CO | 71 | 26 | 4 |
| 6 | Highlands Ranch, CO | 67 | 21 | 3 |
| 7 | Colorado Springs, CO | 56 | 9 | 11 |
| 8 | Aspen, CO | 55 | 15 | 1 |
Every city links to its live listings; the state's registered-nurse listings are at RN jobs in Colorado.
Health systems hiring the most in Colorado
Counted by open postings on the system's own career site, so a system that lists every unit and shift separately ranks higher than one that posts one evergreen requisition per role.
| # | Employer | Open postings in CO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Health & Hospital Authority | 355 |
| 2 | Intermountain Healthcare | 316 |
| 3 | AdventHealth | 239 |
| 4 | DaVita | 117 |
| 5 | Mercy | 116 |
| 6 | Humana | 104 |
| 7 | Ensemble Health Partners | 99 |
| 8 | National Jewish Health | 92 |
Which roles Colorado employers are hiring
| Role | Open postings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| registered nurses | 464 | 50.1% |
| physicians | 105 | 11.3% |
| medical assistants | 104 | 11.2% |
| patient care technicians | 62 | 6.7% |
| patient access representatives | 59 | 6.4% |
| food service workers | 44 | 4.8% |
| physical therapists | 44 | 4.8% |
| radiologic technologists | 44 | 4.8% |
What nursing jobs pay in Colorado
For reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 54,490 registered nurses employed in Colorado with a mean wage of $47.78 an hour ($99,370 a year), OEWS May 2025.
Where enough Colorado postings state a pay range with both ends (30.9% of them do), the median midpoint of the posted range, converted to hourly (annual divided by 2,080), with the middle half of postings and the BLS May 2025 state mean for the same occupation:
| Role | Postings with a range | Median posted midpoint | Middle half of postings | BLS mean | Posted vs BLS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| registered nurses | 129 | $47.00/hr | $44.50 to $47.00 | $47.78/hr | -1.6% |
Licensing: working as a nurse in Colorado
Colorado is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) according to NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026, which lists 40 member states). A nurse whose primary state of residence is Colorado can hold a multistate license and practice in every other compact state without a new application, and a nurse with a multistate license issued elsewhere can accept a job in Colorado without waiting for an endorsement. The state's board of nursing contact page is on NCSBN.
Licensing is issued by the state board of nursing: an approved nursing program, the NCLEX-RN (or NCLEX-PN), a background check and the board's application. The board's own pages are the source of truth for fees and timelines; this page does not restate them.
How this is built
- Scope: open postings on public hospital and health-system career sites, counted as of the date shown; job descriptions are never republished. Only postings whose location is in Colorado count here; a posting listing several sites counts once, at its first site.
- Pay point: midpoint of the posted range, hourly (annual ÷ 2080), only where both ends and the unit are posted. The top of a posted range is never used as "the pay". A posted median is published only with at least 100 postings and within a third of the BLS mean.
- Freshness: counts are refreshed monthly and the page shows its date; a posting that leaves an employer's site drops out.
- References: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates; NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map data, read September 26, 2026.
Data as of October 26, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many open nursing jobs are there in Colorado right now?
2,262 open postings from 57 hospital and health-system employers in Colorado as of October 26, 2026, 464 of them for registered nurses. Denver has the most (665), then Almont (547).
What do registered nurses earn in Colorado?
The BLS OEWS May 2025 mean for registered nurses in Colorado is $47.78 an hour, $99,370 a year, across 54,490 employed RNs. Open postings that state a range (129 of them) have a median midpoint of $47.00 an hour, -1.6% versus the BLS mean.
Is Colorado a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
Yes. Colorado is an NLC member per NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026), so a multistate license issued by another compact state is valid there.
Which hospitals are hiring nurses in Colorado?
By open postings on their own career sites: Denver Health & Hospital Authority (355), Intermountain Healthcare (316), AdventHealth (239) and 5 more listed above, as of October 26, 2026.
