Site Reliability Engineer Salary in Fort Collins, CO — 2026
Site Reliability Engineer salary data for Fort Collins, CO — adjusted for local cost of living. Entry-level to senior pay ranges, take-home pay calculator, and local job market insights.
The median Site Reliability Engineer salary in Fort Collins, CO is $133,990 per year ($11,166/month, $64.42/hr). That is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median annual wage for Software Developers (the closest BLS occupation to Site Reliability Engineer) in the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metropolitan area, which covers Fort Collins. Salario's cost-of-living model (index 108) would have estimated $146,858; the entry, senior and top tiers below are Salario estimates rescaled to the BLS median.
Median: BLS OEWS May 2025, Software Developers (SOC 15-1252), Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA. Entry, senior and top earner are Salario estimates rescaled to the BLS median.
Site Reliability Engineer Take-Home Pay in Fort Collins
Tax Breakdown (Median Salary)
| Gross Annual | $133,990 |
| Federal Tax | -$20,892 |
| State Tax (3.9% eff.) | -$5,187 |
| FICA (SS + Medicare) | -$10,250 |
| Annual Take-Home | $97,661 |
| Monthly Take-Home | $8,138 |
Living Cost Comparison
Site Reliability Engineer Requirements
Key Skills
Fort Collins Job Market Overview
Fort Collins, Colorado has a population of 169,810 and an unemployment rate of 2.8%. The top industries are Education, Technology, Manufacturing. The local job growth rate is 2.3%, and the average commute time is 22minutes. These local figures come from Salario's city dataset; verify current values with BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Census QuickFacts.
Site Reliability Engineer Salary in Nearby Colorado Cities
Salary Percentile Breakdown — Site Reliability Engineer in Fort Collins
Based on Salario's cost-of-living-adjusted salary tiers for Site Reliability Engineer in Fort Collins, CO, here is an estimated percentile breakdown:
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Hourly Equivalent | Career Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (lowest) | $83,800 | $40/hr | Entry-level, < 1 yr exp. |
| 25th | $108,895 | $52/hr | Junior, 1-3 yrs exp. |
| 50th (median) | $133,990 | $64/hr | Mid-career, 3-6 years |
| 75th | $173,000 | $83/hr | Senior, 5-10 yrs exp. |
| 90th (top) | $205,600 | $99/hr | Lead/Principal, 10+ yrs |
P50 is the measured BLS OEWS May 2025 metro median; P10, P25, P75 and P90 are approximations, not measured local percentiles: they map to Salario's entry, senior and top tiers rescaled to the BLS median, with P25 interpolated halfway between entry and median. Top earners (P90) typically include managers, specialists with rare skills, or those at high-paying employers in Fort Collins's Education sector.
5-Year Salary Trajectory
Salario's national dataset models approximately 27.0% salary growth for Site Reliability Engineers over the past 5 years. That national assumption is applied to the Fort Collins estimate below; it is not a measured local trend, and it should be compared with cumulative CPI inflation before treating it as a real-terms gain:
Year-over-year, an average Site Reliability Engineer can expect a 10.9% annual increase moving from entry to senior level over 7 years in Fort Collins. Negotiation, certifications (Google SRE Certificate, AWS DevOps Professional), and changing employers strategically can accelerate this trajectory.
Fort Collins vs National Average
The national median Site Reliability Engineer salary is $135,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025, Software Developers). In the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro, the BLS median of $133,990 is 1.5% below the national figure. Fort Collins's cost of living index is 108 (higher than the national average of 100), so the wage premium and the cost premium do not necessarily cancel out.
For Site Reliability Engineers, this means: rent typically consumes 19.7% of take-home pay (households spending >30% are considered affordable), and a median home in Fort Collins costs about 4.9× annual take-home. Homeownership is relatively attainable on this salary in Fort Collins.
Industry Context: Education in Fort Collins
Fort Collins's economy is anchored by Education, Technology, Manufacturing, with 169,810 residents and an unemployment rate of 2.8% in Salario's city dataset. Pay for Site Reliability Engineers can differ by sector, so compare Education employers with other local employers. The local job growth rate in Salario's city dataset is 2.3%, and Salario's job dataset lists a 30.0% growth outlook for Site Reliability Engineer roles; check the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for the official 2024-2034 projection for the closest matching occupation.
Methodology & Data Sources
How we calculate Site Reliability Engineer salaries in Fort Collins, CO:
- Local median is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median annual wage for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metropolitan statistical area, retrieved from the BLS Public Data API on September 17, 2026. BLS reports by metro area, so this is a regional figure, not a Fort Collins-only wage.
- Cost-of-living adjustment is shown only for comparison ($146,858 modeled) using the Fort Collins index of 108 relative to the national baseline of 100, with local rent, home price, unemployment, and tax inputs stored separately in Salario's city dataset.
- Percentile distribution (P10-P90) estimated from the entry, median, senior, and top compensation tiers in the Salario salary model rescaled to the BLS metro median rather than claimed as exact employer payroll data.
- Take-home pay calculated using 2026 federal tax brackets (10%-37%), CO 2026 state income tax brackets after the standard deduction (top rate 4.4%), and FICA (Social Security 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%).
- Tax brackets and standard deduction ($16,100 single filer for tax year 2026) sourced from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and updated annually.
Authoritative data sources:
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — national and metro-area salary data
- O*NET OnLine — occupation tasks, alternate job titles, skills, and SOC crosswalks
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — occupation outlook where a matching profile is available
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) — regional inflation data (CPI measures price changes, not city-to-city price levels)
- U.S. Census Bureau — Fort Collins QuickFacts — population and demographic data
- IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 summary — 2026 federal tax brackets and standard deductions
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — official local unemployment rates to verify the Fort Collins figure above
Last reviewed: 2026. Salario's salary dataset is refreshed periodically, not automatically; check the linked BLS releases for the latest official data. Site Reliability Engineer salaries can vary significantly based on employer, sector (Education vs others in Fort Collins), specific skill set (Linux, Kubernetes, Python), and individual negotiation. Always verify current compensation through multiple sources before making career decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Site Reliability Engineer salary in Fort Collins, CO?
How much does a Site Reliability Engineer take home in Fort Collins after taxes?
Is Fort Collins a good city for Site Reliability Engineers?
What skills are needed for a Site Reliability Engineer in Fort Collins?
How does Site Reliability Engineer salary in Fort Collins compare to the national average?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Site Reliability Engineer salary in Fort Collins, CO?
The median Site Reliability Engineer salary in Fort Collins, CO is $133,990 per year: the BLS OEWS May 2025 median annual wage for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metropolitan area. BLS publishes wages by metro area, not by city. The entry-level estimate of around $83,800 and the senior estimate of $173,000 or more are Salario tiers calibrated to that BLS median, not BLS percentiles.
How much does a Site Reliability Engineer take home in Fort Collins after taxes?
A Site Reliability Engineer earning the median salary of $133,990 in Fort Collins, CO takes home approximately $97,661 per year ($8,138/month) after federal, state, and local taxes. The effective tax rate is 27.1%.
Is Fort Collins a good city for Site Reliability Engineers?
Fort Collins, CO has a cost of living index of 108 (above national average). Site Reliability Engineers here earn above the city median. The local unemployment rate is 2.8% and top industries include Education, Technology, Manufacturing.
What skills are needed for a Site Reliability Engineer in Fort Collins?
Key skills for Site Reliability Engineers include Linux, Kubernetes, Python, Monitoring, Incident Response. Typical education requirement is Bachelor's Degree. Valuable certifications include Google SRE Certificate, AWS DevOps Professional.
How does Site Reliability Engineer salary in Fort Collins compare to the national average?
The national median for Software Developers is $135,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025). In the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro, the BLS median is $133,990, which is 1.5% lower than the national figure. For comparison, Salario's cost-of-living model (index 108) would have estimated $146,858.