NAICS 23

Construction in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

Metro Market Score 68.0 (Difficult), ranked #321 of 342 metros. 9,954 establishments, 105,487 jobs.

Metro Market Score 68.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for construction in Denver-Aurora-Centennial are tougher than average. The 68.0 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #321 of 342 metros.

Industry Concentration

76.9

LQ: 1.25

Rank #263 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

92.4

$88,317 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 36.5

Employment growth index

Rank #218 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

33.0

YoY wage change index

9,954 Construction Firms in Denver-Aurora-Centennial

9,954

Establishments

-6.4% YoY

105,487

Total Employment

+0.1% YoY

$88,317

Average Annual Wage

+4.1% YoY

1.25

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Colorado

#7 of 7

construction metros in state

Colorado state rank

#40 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+7.9

worse than median (60.0)

Denver-Aurora-Centennial vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #40/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Denver-Aurora-Centennial	CO Statewide
Overall Score	68.0 Difficult	53.2 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#321 of 342 metros	#40 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Denver-Aurora-Centennial

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 68.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 68.3

Construction in Other Colorado Metros

Boulder 53.8 #232/342 Grand Junction 54.8 #244/342 Colorado Springs 56.2 #258/342 Greeley 60.0 #284/342 Pueblo 64.1 #306/342 Fort Collins-Loveland 65.3 #314/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Denver-Aurora-Centennial's 68.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Kahului-Wailuku, HI 68.1 #322/342 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 68.3 #323/342 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 68.4 #324/342 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 68.6 #325/342 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 67.3 #320/342 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 66.9 #319/342 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 69.4 #326/342 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 69.5 #327/342 Appleton, WI 69.6 #328/342 Evansville, IN 66.1 #317/342

Construction in States Bordering Colorado

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Nebraska 32.5 #5/51 Arizona 38.6 #16/51 Utah 40.1 #22/51 New Mexico 47.4 #31/51 Kansas 51.5 #38/51 Oklahoma 52.2 #39/51 Wyoming 59.3 #49/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Denver-Aurora-Centennial's construction sector, the wage competitiveness component (92.4) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment