Colorado Ranks No. 5 in Hospitality Hiring As Competition for Workers Tightens

Colorado ranked fifth nationally in hospitality job postings during the final quarter of 2025, with 5,918 open positions in restaurants, bars and hotels, according to new data from OysterLink. This reflects sustained hiring pressure as the state's leisure and hospitality sector added approximately 5,200 jobs over the past year, intensifying competition for workers across Northern Colorado.

California led with 28,646 postings in Q4 2025, followed by Texas (22,722) and Florida (15,363). Colorado's ranking ahead of established hospitality markets like North Carolina and Georgia signals robust hiring activity across the state heading into 2026.

Colorado's unemployment rate hit 3.9 percent in November 2025, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Leisure and hospitality payrolls added roughly 5,200 jobs between November 2024 and November 2025, ranking among the largest private-sector employment gains in the state during that period. Accommodation and food services employed 286,639 statewide in the second quarter of 2025—one of the largest employment sectors in Colorado.

"Even as hospitality hiring begins to normalize, demand remains highly regional," said Milos Eric, co-founder and general manager of OysterLink. "States with large tourism economies and growing metro areas continue to hire at scale, which means employers still need to compete for workers."

In the Fort Collins metro area, roughly 5,210 fast-food and counter workers represent just one occupational category in the hospitality footprint. Greeley's metro has about 3,190 workers in similar roles, illustrating the scale regional employers must staff. The statewide growth and OysterLink's strong Colorado posting volume suggest sustained hiring pressure across the region.

OysterLink's platform reaches more than 400,000 monthly visitors, making its job-posting analysis a broad indicator of employer demand across the hospitality sector.