Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Operations Research Analyst Salary in Colorado Springs, CO
Technology · SOC 15-2031 · COL Index 104.5
Operations Research Analysts in Colorado Springs, CO earn a median salary of $140,590 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $84,060 to $174,400. The mean is $136,770 across approximately 170 workers. Adjusted for Colorado Springs, CO's cost-of-living index of 104.5, the median equates to $134,536 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Operations Research Analyst in Colorado Springs, CO pays a substantial premium over the national median: $140,590 versus $90,762 nationally, roughly 55% above. The premium reflects local labor demand, cost-of-living adjustment, and industry concentration.
Cost-of-living in Colorado Springs, CO sits near the national baseline (index 104.5), so the unadjusted $140,590 median is reasonably comparable to wages in other near-baseline cities. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $106,672, $140,590, $157,495, $174,400. 170 Operations Research Analyst workers are documented in Colorado Springs, CO per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $84,060 | $80,440 |
| 25th Percentile | $106,672 | $102,078 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $140,590 | $134,536 |
| 75th Percentile | $157,495 | $150,713 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $174,400 | $166,890 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The 10th-to-90th percentile band for Operations Research Analysts in Colorado Springs, CO is moderately wide — the 90th-percentile worker earns about 2.1× the 10th-percentile worker. That is typical for a professional role with standard career progression: experience, scope, and employer size all matter, but the spread is not so extreme that the role bifurcates into separate sub-markets.
Colorado Springs, CO's cost-of-living index of 104.5 sits close to the U.S. average — $140,590 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.
Colorado Springs, CO ranks #1 of 68 BLS-tracked metros for Operations Research Analyst pay — among the very top markets nationally. Top-3 metros for any occupation typically combine three signals: dense local employer concentration, high cost of living, and a deep pool of senior workers that pulls the percentile bands upward.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $157,495 for Operations Research Analysts in Colorado Springs, CO — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($174,400) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($106,672–$140,590) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($140,590–$157,495) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($157,495–$174,400).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Colorado Springs, CO percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 15-2031 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Operations Research Analyst salary in Colorado Springs, CO?
Operations Research Analysts in Colorado Springs, CO earn a median salary of $140,590 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $136,770 across roughly 170 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Operations Research Analysts in Colorado Springs, CO?
Pay ranges from $84,060 at the 10th percentile to $174,400 at the 90th percentile — a $90,340 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($106,672 to $157,495) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $140,590 a good Operations Research Analyst salary in Colorado Springs, CO?
$140,590 is the BLS median — half of Operations Research Analysts in Colorado Springs, CO earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($106,672), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($157,495). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $134,536.
How does Operations Research Analyst pay in Colorado Springs, CO compare to other metros?
Colorado Springs, CO ranks #1 of 68 BLS-tracked metros for Operations Research Analyst median pay. It is among the highest-paying markets for this role.
Where does this Operations Research Analyst salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Colorado Springs, CO MSA, SOC 15-2031, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 170 Operations Research Analysts tracked in Colorado Springs, CO.