Colorado Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in Colorado
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory starting at 1 employeeOfficial agency: DOWC
- Average rate
- $1.05 per $100 of payrollRank #28 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), below the $1.09 national median
- Rating organization
- NCCINational Council on Compensation Insurance · Private insurers
- Verified from official records
- October 3, 2026Rates: Oregon DCBS study, June 2025
Colorado requires workers' comp from the first employee, whether part-time, full-time or family. All coverage is sold by private carriers and there is no state fund, though Pinnacol Assurance must cover any Colorado employer, and more than 500 licensed insurers can write a policy.
Rates in effect January 1, 2024 · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, 2024 study (June 2025) · Nothing you enter leaves your browser
2024 study rate for all industries in Colorado. Edit it if your policy shows a different rate.
For the class you're pricing. Insurers rate each class code's payroll separately.
Printed on your experience rating worksheet or renewal. New or small employers that don't qualify for experience rating are rated at 1.00.
Estimated premium
$10,500
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$10,500
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $1.05 per $100 of payroll.
At an EMR of 1.00, your claims history neither raises nor lowers this premium.
Every claim from now on counts toward your next three renewals. IncidentLog makes the first step — a complete, same-day incident report — take about 90 seconds from a job-site QR code.
Create a free accountEstimate before schedule credits or debits, premium discounts, expense constants, state assessments and minimum premiums — your insurer's quote will differ.
Who must carry workers' comp in Colorado?
Mandatory starting at 1 employee
Part-time, full-time and family employees all count.
Official agency
Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation (DOWC)
Market: Private insurers
Colorado workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in Colorado, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | Colorado | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.10 | $0.11 | −9% |
| Retail store (8017) | $1.15 | $1.20 | −4% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $1.10 | $1.09 | +1% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $1.18 | $1.09 | +8% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $2.09 | $1.79 | +17% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $2.57 | $2.03 | +27% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $0.78 | $0.82 | −5% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $2.06 | $2.37 | −13% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $3.09 | $2.70 | +14% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $8.62 | $8.71 | −1% |
| Roofing (5551) | $10.03 | $9.64 | +4% |
| Trucking (7219) | $5.79 | $5.72 | +1% |
Colorado uses NCCI class codes. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in Colorado
Take $500,000 of payroll at Colorado's $1.05 index rate: $5,250 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $4,463/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $6,563/yr
- Difference
- +$2,100/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $6,300. The mod is built from claims, and the cheapest claim is the injury caught early.
IncidentLog lets crews report an injury or near miss from a job-site QR code in about 90 seconds, so you hear about it the same shift and see patterns on your OSHA 300 log before they become claims.
Create a free accountColorado workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado requires workers' compensation coverage from the first employee. Part-time, full-time and family employees all count. Source: Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation.
How are workers' comp rates set in Colorado?
Employers buy coverage from private insurance companies. The Oregon DCBS study lists NCCI (the National Council on Compensation Insurance) as Colorado's rating organization. Your own premium then depends on your class codes, your payroll and your experience modification rate (EMR).
What is the average workers' comp rate in Colorado?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts Colorado's all-industry index rate at $1.05 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on January 1, 2024, 96% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks Colorado #28 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (#41 in the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (4 quotes)
“If you have one or more employees working for you in Colorado, you must have workers' compensation insurance and maintain it at all times. This applies to all employers, regardless of whether the employees are part-time, full-time, or family members.”
Workers' compensation insurance requirements — Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“All workers’ compensation insurance in Colorado is sold by private insurance carriers; there is no state fund.”
How to get workers' compensation coverage — Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“is required to provide workers’ compensation coverage for any Colorado employer; however, there are more than 500 licensed insurance companies that can provide coverage.”
How to get workers' compensation coverage — Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“The Division of Workers' Compensation (DOWC) provides tools to help you verify that a business is meeting these requirements.”
Workers' compensation insurance requirements — Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
An estimate for planning, not a quote, legal or insurance advice. IncidentLog is not an insurer or broker. Median rate across all industries: $1.09 per $100.