Colorado energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in Colorado

The current industrial power rate in Colorado is 9.4 cents per kWh (Apr 2026, EIA), ranking 33 of 51 states and sitting 8.5% above the national average.

Current prices in Colorado

  • Industrial electricity: 9.4 cents per kWh (Apr 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in Colorado typically pays: 12.92 cents per kWh.
  • Industrial natural gas: 7.12 per Mcf (Apr 2026), 45.3% above the national average.
  • Just below Colorado on the price ladder: Michigan at 8.95, South Dakota at 9.15, Florida at 9.23 cents. Just above: Delaware at 9.74, Illinois at 9.74, Pennsylvania at 9.82 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 3,760 in electricity at Colorado rates versus 3,464 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 18,800 versus 17,320, and at 200 kW it is 75,200 versus 69,280.
  • Colorado sits mid-pack for power cost, so energy is neither a site-selection advantage nor a penalty. Estimates built on national averages will land close here, though demand charges and rate schedules still swing the real bill.

What factory labor pays in Colorado

  • Industrial production managers: $67.80/hr median in Colorado versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial engineers: $52.77/hr median in Colorado versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $37.93/hr median in Colorado versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial machinery mechanics: $36.35/hr median in Colorado versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Tool and die makers: $30.67/hr median in Colorado versus $30.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $28.94/hr median in Colorado versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Colorado employs about 144,000 manufacturing workers as of May 2026 (BLS).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's Colorado observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.