Labor Market Pulse · Finance · September 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Colorado Springs, CO MSA — September 2026
Colorado Springs finance pay splits: scarcity premiums up, FP&A pay down.
Tax Specialist advertised pay hit $73,148 in Colorado Springs against a national $65,842, while FP&A Manager pay fell to $127,918 even as the state's financial activities sector shed roughly 5,300 jobs since mid-2025.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Tax Specialist advertised pay (metro): $73,148 — vs $65,842 national; significant upward trend
- FP&A Manager advertised pay (metro): $127,918 — vs $128,139 national; metro trending down
- Colorado financial activities job losses: ~5,300 jobs — Since July 2025, statewide
- El Paso County wage growth: 5.0% YoY — Q1 2026, vs 3.9% national county average
Key takeaways
Tax Specialist pay is rising sharply while headcount budgets tighten elsewhere.
Metro advertised pay for Tax Specialist roles climbed to $73,148, above the national median of $65,842 and marked 'significant' upward movement. This outpaces the sector's broader contraction, consistent with national data showing CPA and tax talent shortages driving a 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77%, up from a 2025 surplus.
FP&A Manager pay softened locally even as national rates held flat.
Metro advertised pay for FP&A Manager fell to $127,918, moving below the national median of $128,139 despite a 'stable' national trend. Divergence from the national pattern suggests metro-specific demand softening rather than a broad occupational trend, and merits confirmation before budget cycles lock in lower offer ranges.
Financial activities job losses mask selective, aggressive hiring intent.
Colorado financial activities payrolls shed roughly 5,300 jobs since July 2025, yet national F&A leader surveys show 74% planning to increase permanent headcount in H2 2026. Headcount reductions appear concentrated in commoditized functions, while automation absorbs routine work and employers compete harder for scarce technical and senior talent.
Colorado Springs wage growth is outrunning a softening state labor market.
El Paso County wages rose 5.0% year-over-year in Q1 2026 even as statewide unemployment climbed to 4.0% and employed population fell by 9,800 in August. Divergence suggests local finance and accounting talent remains scarce despite broader cooling, a dynamic Finance leaders should factor into retention budgeting rather than assuming market-wide softening applies equally to their roles.
Median advertised pay by role — Colorado Springs, CO MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $101,000 | $120,335 | $125,590 | Moderate increase | $113,754 |
| Senior Accountant | $75,000 | $87,466 | $88,200 | Moderate increase | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $77,319 | $102,768 | $113,650 | Moderate decline | $94,782 |
| Billing Specialist | $42,023 | $47,320 | $52,000 | Moderate increase | $49,512 |
| Tax Specialist | $58,608 | $73,148 | $88,438 | Significant increase | $65,842 |
| Credit Analyst * | $58,240 | $72,023 | $79,350 | Stable | $71,758 |
| FP&A Manager * | $105,409 | $127,918 | $138,500 | Moderate decline | $128,139 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Colorado Springs finance hiring sits at an inflection point: the metro's financial activities sector is contracting in step with statewide losses of roughly 5,300 positions since mid-2025, even as El Paso County wages grew 5.0% year-over-year in Q1 2026 on a shrinking labor pool. Statewide unemployment climbing to 4.0% and a declining employed base point to softening demand, but Colorado Springs-specific advertised pay for Tax Specialist and Controller roles still rising suggests finance talent scarcity is holding even as broader hiring cools.
What it means
Rising Controller and Tax Specialist advertised pay against a backdrop of sector-wide financial activities job losses signals a bifurcated market — Finance leaders are cutting headcount in some functions while bidding up pay for scarce senior and specialized talent in others. Falling FP&A Manager pay locally, against a national flat trend, may reflect either a genuine softening in demand for that role in this metro or a correction after prior overhiring, and warrants scrutiny before assuming it reflects budget relief. Consider reviewing whether current FP&A Manager compensation positioning still clears the bar for attracting candidates, given the metro figure has moved against the national trend.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether Colorado's 42 WARN notices filed in 2026 (down 11% from 2025) begin including financial services employers; none of the major filings to date (PNC Bank, Alan Ritchey, Eagle Rock) were Colorado Springs-based, but statewide financial activities contraction could eventually surface locally.
Expected: BLS metro-level data for Colorado Springs lags by one to two months; expect July and August 2026 unemployment and wage figures to post in October, which should clarify whether the metro is tracking the statewide unemployment rise to 4.0% or holding its more favorable spring readings.
Emerging pressure point: National average hourly earnings growth decelerated to 3.0% year-over-year in September, below expectations, which may ease salary budget pressure mid-fiscal-year even as metro-specific Tax Specialist and Controller pay continues climbing against that national grain.
Worth watching: Nearly half of F&A organizations nationally expect direct labor rate increases above 4% given labor scarcity; monitor whether Colorado Springs employers follow this pattern for senior accounting and FP&A roles or continue the local FP&A Manager pay softening seen this month.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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