Labor Market Pulse · Finance · September 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA — September 2026
Fort Collins finance pay splits sharply by role, not by market.
Metro Financial Analyst pay has fallen to $79,963 against a stable $94,782 nationally, even as Tax Specialist pay climbs to $74,149 locally and Larimer County wages overall grew 11.5% year-over-year.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Fort Collins-Loveland unemployment: 3.8% — vs 4.0% Colorado, 4.1% U.S.
- Larimer County wage growth: 11.5% YoY — Highest among large Colorado counties
- Colorado financial activities payrolls: -5,300 — Since July 2025, per state labor data
- National F&A hiring intent: 74% — Plan to add permanent headcount, 2H 2026
Key takeaways
Financial Analyst pay is falling locally while holding nationally.
Metro advertised pay for Financial Analysts sits at $79,963, down significantly, versus a stable $94,782 national median — a roughly 16% gap. This divergence may signal softening local demand for the role even as national employers continue paying at historical levels, raising questions about whether current incumbents are now above or below market.
Tax Specialist pay is accelerating in both directions.
Metro advertised pay for Tax Specialists rose significantly to $74,149, outpacing a national rate that is itself climbing sharply to $65,842. Coincides with a nationally reported 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77% for accounting and tax roles, suggesting this is a structural scarcity signal rather than a one-month anomaly.
Statewide financial activities contraction has not reached Larimer County wages.
Colorado financial activities payrolls fell roughly 5,300 since July 2025, yet Larimer County posted the largest wage gains of any major Colorado county. Finance leaders budgeting off statewide sector trends risk understating local retention costs.
Controller pay is softening against a hardening national market.
Metro Controller advertised pay moved down moderately to $112,448 while the national median rose moderately to $113,754, narrowing what was likely a local premium. Worth reviewing whether this reflects reduced local demand or a thinner, more competitive applicant pool pulling rates down.
Median advertised pay by role — Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $100,988 | $112,448 | $115,709 | Moderate decline | $113,754 |
| Senior Accountant | $82,927 | $90,916 | $95,000 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $72,627 | $79,963 | $91,000 | Significant decline | $94,782 |
| Billing Specialist | $41,367 | $46,800 | $51,291 | Stable | $49,512 |
| Tax Specialist | $56,096 | $74,149 | $78,658 | Significant increase | $65,842 |
| Credit Analyst | $53,030 | $58,067 | $70,720 | Stable | $71,758 |
| FP&A Manager | $108,536 | $127,500 | $136,500 | Stable | $128,139 |
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
Fort Collins-Loveland unemployment held near 3.8% through midyear, the tightest reading in Northern Colorado, even as Colorado's statewide rate climbed to 4.0% and the state logged its third consecutive month of job losses in August. Larimer County's financial activities sector is not immune to the statewide contraction — Colorado shed roughly 4,300 financial activities jobs from July to August alone — but local wage growth, up 11.5% year-over-year in Larimer County, suggests employers are still paying up to hold scarce finance talent even as hiring volume softens.
What it means
Divergence between a resilient local labor market and a contracting state financial activities sector means Finance leaders should treat headcount planning and compensation strategy as separate levers rather than assuming one tracks the other — hiring may be harder to justify even as retention pay pressure persists. Advertised Financial Analyst pay in the metro has fallen significantly (down to $79,963 against a stable $94,782 national median), a gap wide enough to affect both recruiting radius and internal equity conversations for incumbents hired at older, higher rates. Consider reviewing Financial Analyst compensation bands against current advertised rates before the next planning cycle, since the metro-national spread has widened enough to create flight risk if left unaddressed.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Colorado's unemployment rate has risen for three straight months while Larimer County remains comparatively tight. Watch whether statewide softening eventually spills into local finance hiring volume over the next one to two reporting cycles.
Emerging pressure point: National financial activities employment has lost 129,000 jobs since May 2025, concentrated in insurance carriers, while 74% of finance and accounting leaders report plans to increase permanent headcount. Reconcile this contradiction locally before assuming either national hiring or national layoff trends will dominate Fort Collins outcomes.
Potential inflection point: National average hourly earnings growth decelerated to 3.0% year-over-year in September, below consensus, easing aggregate wage budget pressure. Confirm whether this national cooling is showing up in Fort Collins advertised rates for mid-level roles like Senior Accountant, currently stable at $90,916.
Expected: Colorado's $15.16 minimum wage and continued slow population growth are expected to keep entry-level finance and shared-services cost structures elevated into 2027 budget cycles. Model this into headcount cost planning now rather than at year-end close.
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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