Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Pueblo, CO MSA — September 2026
Pueblo's jobless rate climbs to 6.6% as contractor losses mount
Pueblo unemployment reached 6.6% in August versus 4.0% statewide, as Battelle's contract wind-down, Amentum's layoffs, and a newly announced Mission Foods plant closure compound a yearlong employment decline.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Pueblo unemployment rate: 6.6% — vs 4.0% Colorado, 4.1% U.S. (Aug 2026)
- Pueblo metro employment: ~67,100 — down from 68,800 in Nov 2025
- Mission Foods plant closure: 90 workers — Pueblo tortilla plant closing by Oct 27
- Colorado labor force participation: 67.4% — down from 68.1% a year earlier
Key takeaways
Pueblo's downturn is concentrated, not diffuse.
Battelle's contract wind-down, Amentum's seven rounds of layoffs in 2025, and now Mission Foods' plant closure trace back to a small number of large employers rather than a broad-based retreat. That concentration matters for recovery planning — the metro's trajectory hinges disproportionately on a handful of named-employer decisions.
Pueblo's jobless rate gap with the state is widening, not closing.
At 6.6% in August against Colorado's 4.0% and the national 4.1%, Pueblo's unemployment rate sits roughly 2.5 points above the state figure — a gap that has persisted even as Colorado's own labor market has softened through 2026. That divergence is consistent with Pueblo bearing metro-specific shocks (contractor and manufacturing losses) on top of statewide headwinds.
Manufacturing pay is falling locally while holding nationally.
Advertised manufacturing production and assembler pay in Pueblo is down moderately even as the national figure holds flat and sits well above Pueblo's level — $44,398 metro versus $39,520 national, an unusual reversal from typical cost-of-living patterns. That may reflect softening local demand for manufacturing labor following plant-level job losses rather than a national industry trend reaching Pueblo.
Healthcare remains the metro's steadiest pillar.
CNA/home health aide advertised pay is up moderately and registered nurse pay is up moderately in Pueblo, consistent with the statewide pattern of education and health services projected to lead 2026 job growth. For a metro absorbing manufacturing and contractor losses, healthcare's relative strength is one of the clearer stabilizing forces in the local economy right now.
Median advertised pay by role — Pueblo, CO MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $29,507 | $33,280 | $35,797 | Moderate increase | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $30,434 | $33,955 | $35,880 | Moderate increase | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $32,698 | $37,440 | $39,520 | Significant decline | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $57,218 | $80,595 | $95,000 | Moderate increase | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $32,577 | $35,322 | $37,277 | Significant decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $35,791 | $37,440 | $45,760 | Significant decline | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $65,486 | $76,960 | $79,129 | Significant decline | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $34,576 | $44,398 | $48,610 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,302 | $35,526 | $37,044 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $31,631 | $31,928 | $32,604 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $40,497 | $44,088 | $46,058 | Moderate increase | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $32,240 | $42,029 | $48,880 | Significant decline | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $61,143 | $71,520 | $81,120 | Moderate decline | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,213 | $90,418 | $97,094 | Moderate increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $126,987 | $156,690 | $163,840 | Moderate decline | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,248 | $143,734 | $159,246 | Moderate increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $55,807 | $62,652 | $66,577 | Moderate decline | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $72,500 | $78,847 | $80,000 | Significant decline | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $60,347 | $81,256 | $88,254 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $46,023 | $60,000 | $71,500 | Stable | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $78,593 | $95,453 | $103,143 | Significant increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $44,136 | $62,556 | $67,095 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $51,952 | $77,502 | $117,977 | Significant decline | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $51,506 | $52,225 | $53,015 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $38,573 | $57,656 | $75,304 | Significant decline | $98,279 |
* 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
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $70,476 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $47,840 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $39,637 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $62,589 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $46,167 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $53,040 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $64,597 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $79,000 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $33,964 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $72,491 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Pueblo's unemployment rate climbed to 6.6% in August, among the highest in Colorado and well above the state's 4.0% and the national 4.1%, as the wind-down of Battelle's chemical weapons destruction contract and Amentum's defense-contract layoffs continue to work through the local economy. A fresh closure — Mission Foods shutting its Santa Fe Drive tortilla plant by October 27, affecting 90 workers — adds to a pattern of manufacturing and contractor-driven job loss that has pushed metro employment down to roughly 67,100 in the latest preliminary reading, from 68,800 last November.
What it means
Repeated contractor-driven layoffs (Battelle, Amentum) alongside a traditional manufacturing closure (Mission Foods) point to a metro economy still absorbing the loss of a few large, concentrated employers rather than broad-based contraction — a distinction that matters for how commerce leaders and economic development officials target recovery efforts. Advertised pay softening across manufacturing-adjacent and administrative roles locally, even as healthcare and skilled trades hold firmer, suggests the metro's near-term resilience depends on how quickly displaced manufacturing and defense-contract workers are absorbed elsewhere in the local economy. Current conditions suggest economic development leaders may want to track how quickly workers exiting Mission Foods and Battelle move into open positions locally versus leaving the labor force or the metro entirely, as an early signal of whether this is a temporary adjustment or a structural contraction.
Looking ahead
Expected: Mission Foods' 90 layoffs complete by October 27; watch October and November unemployment readings for the full local impact, since August's 6.6% rate does not yet reflect this closure.
Emerging pressure point: Battelle's August WARN notice (12 employees) suggests the chemical weapons destruction wind-down may not be fully resolved; additional smaller notices tied to the same contract could continue trickling in.
Worth watching: Colorado's own labor market cooled through August (unemployment up to 4.0%, third straight month of job losses), meaning Pueblo can no longer count on a strengthening state backdrop to offset local-specific contractor losses.
Potential inflection point: Whether workers displaced from Amentum, Battelle, and Mission Foods re-enter the local labor force in healthcare, trade, or government roles — versus leaving the metro — will determine if Pueblo's participation rate stabilizes or continues eroding.
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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