Commercial trade rates in Denver.
Estimated commercial rates for all 8 trades tracked in Denver, built from O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates wage data, for facility and property teams benchmarking vendor invoices.
Rates by trade
Plumbing (estimated)$84/hr median · $72–$117 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Electrical (estimated)$83/hr median · $59–$115 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
HVAC and Refrigeration (estimated)$95/hr median · $71–$130 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
General Maintenance (estimated)$69/hr median · $57–$92 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Janitorial and Cleaning (estimated)$51/hr median · $45–$66 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Landscaping and Grounds (estimated)$61/hr median · $52–$71 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Roofing (estimated)$74/hr median · $59–$89 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
Carpentry (estimated)$86/hr median · $69–$108 range
Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.
What's different in Denver
- Labour market: Colorado has moderate union density in commercial trades, generally higher than the Sun Belt states in this set but below Chicago, Boston, or the coastal metros.
- Climate and seasonality: Semi-arid climate with cold winters and large day-to-night and seasonal temperature swings; hail is a significant, recurring driver of commercial roofing work in the Denver area specifically.
- Code and licensing: Colorado licenses electricians and plumbers at the state level; the City and County of Denver applies its own building and energy code requirements on top of state licensing.
Frequently asked questions
- What do commercial trade rates cost in Denver?
- Across the 8 trades tracked here, the median commercial hourly rate in Denver runs around $75/hr, though it varies significantly by trade: see the table above for each one.
- Is this a real measured rate, or an estimate?
- Every rate on this page is currently an estimate: each trade's Denver wage, multiplied by a documented service multiplier that converts an employee wage into a billed commercial rate. It is not drawn from actual invoices or job records. The full model is on the methodology page.
- Why a range instead of a single number?
- A single average hides the real spread: in the underlying wage data for estimated trades, and between emergency/scheduled and contract/ad-hoc work for measured ones. We show low, median, and high so the range reflects that honestly.
- Is this a residential or commercial rate?
- Commercial. These figures track facility-side trade work for businesses, property managers, and multi-site operators in Denver. Commercial rates typically run above residential rates for the same trade, reflecting insurance, code compliance, and scheduling requirements that residential work doesn't carry.
- What's driving trade rates in Denver specifically?
- Colorado has moderate union density in commercial trades, generally higher than the Sun Belt states in this set but below Chicago, Boston, or the coastal metros.
Methodology
These figures are built from regional wage data multiplied by a documented service multiplier, or, where enough real job records exist, measured directly from vendor work logged in Evalystar. See the full model, sources, and what upgrades an estimate to a measured rate on the methodology page.
Nearby cities
Cite this data
These Denver benchmarks are published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them anywhere, including commercially, as long as you attribute Evalystar. The machine-readable version is at /api/rates/us/denver.json.
Evalystar (2025). Commercial facility trade rate benchmarks, Denver. Retrieved from https://evalystar.com/rates/us/denver. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.