Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Salary
The median pay for a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary in Colorado is $70,060/year, per BLS data. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $120K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.71), that's roughly $67,554 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,832/month, about 39.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Colorado. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $70K actually covers in Colorado, month by month
About art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries
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What this looks like in Colorado
Pay for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary in Colorado runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $79K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,832/month, which is 40.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.71) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Colorado
Entry-level art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $70K. Top earners bring in $120K or more, a $89K spread from bottom to top.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salary by metro in Colorado
5 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo | $76K | +8% | 50 |
| Colorado Springs | $73K | +4% | N/A |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $70K | +0% | 840 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | $66K | -6% | 210 |
| Greeley | $64K | -8% | 130 |
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BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Colorado numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary afford a 2BR apartment alone in Colorado?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $70K, rent takes 40.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,832/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries in Colorado?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,126/month. At HUD’s $1,832/month FMR, rent would take 86% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary a high-paying job in Colorado?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $70K here vs. $79K nationally.
How does Colorado compare to the national average for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries?
Colorado pays $70K median vs. the U.S. average of $79K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.71), the purchasing-power equivalent is $68K — below the national median.
How much do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries make in Colorado?
The median is $70,060 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,910, and experienced art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries can clear $120,380. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $70K enough to live in Colorado?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,549/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,832/month, which eats 40.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary go in Colorado?
Colorado has a Regional Price Parity of 103.71 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary is worth about $67,554 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondaries get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.