PlansByState

Car Wash Operators Health Insurance in Colorado

Benchmark $615/mo · ranked 7 of 23 · median wage $39,480

Licensed Independent Agent · NPN #22052447 · 23 States

The benchmark premium for a 40-year-old in Colorado is $615 a month for 2027, ranking 7 of 23 states published here. BLS reports a median annual wage of $39,480 for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment in Colorado.

Wage benchmark and the 2027 subsidy cliff

$39,480median annual wage, Car Wash Operators in Colorado
247%of the federal poverty level
$63,8402027 subsidy cliff, single-person household

Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2027.

This occupation is below the cliff in all 23 states reported.

Median annual wage by state, Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment400% FPL — $63,840Colorado$39,480Kansas$38,130Nebraska$36,640Maryland$35,890Wisconsin$35,320Indiana$35,280Virginia$34,900Ohio$34,750Michigan$34,640Tennessee$34,630Illinois$34,610Nevada$34,570South Dakota$34,330Utah$34,170Arkansas$33,910Florida$31,790Alabama$31,180North Carolina$30,700Oklahoma$30,100Georgia$29,900South Carolina$29,650Texas$29,280Mississippi$29,130

What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment (SOC 53-7061) in Colorado. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed car wash operator. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.

Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2027 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $63,840 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.

Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. State-level annual median wage (A_MEDIAN), detailed occupation. https://www.bls.gov/oes/. Retrieved 2026-08-03. Figures used unmodified; suppressed cells are omitted, not estimated.
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines. 91 FR 1797, 15 January 2026. https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines. Retrieved 2026-09-27. The 2026 guidelines govern premium tax credit eligibility for plan year 2027 coverage. The 2027 guidelines apply to 2028 coverage.
  3. Full dataset for all occupations and states: CSV · JSON (CC BY 4.0).

All 23 states

Benchmark premium and median wage for this occupation, ranked by premium.

#StateBenchmark @40Median wagevs cliff
1Maryland$491$35,890below
2Indiana$537$35,280below
3Virginia$549$34,900below
4Nevada$565$34,570below
5Michigan$595$34,640below
6Ohio$603$34,750below
7Colorado$615$39,480below
8North Carolina$660$30,700below
9Oklahoma$686$30,100below
10South Carolina$702$29,650below
11South Dakota$704$34,330below
12Illinois$707$34,610below
13Alabama$712$31,180below
14Utah$716$34,170below
15Wisconsin$720$35,320below
16Georgia$733$29,900below
17Texas$737$29,280below
18Florida$738$31,790below
19Kansas$748$38,130below
20Arkansas$757$33,910below
21Nebraska$780$36,640below
22Tennessee$796$34,630below
23Mississippi$814$29,130below

Questions

How much does a car wash operator make in Colorado?
The BLS median wage for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment in Colorado is $39,480 a year (May 2024). Starting pay — the 10th percentile — is about $35,390. The middle half earn $37,390 to $44,560, and the top 10% more than $48,810. BLS counts about 6,430 people doing this work for an employer in Colorado. The self-employed are not in the BLS survey, so this is the going rate for the work, not your own number.
Does being a car wash operator change what health insurance costs in Colorado?
No. Under the ACA carriers may not rate, decline, or exclude based on occupation or health history. Premiums vary only by age, ZIP code, tobacco use and household size, so the benchmark of $615 a month applies regardless of trade.
Do car wash operators qualify for a subsidy in Colorado in 2027?
Premium tax credit eligibility depends on household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not occupation. For reference, the BLS median wage for Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment in Colorado is $39,480, which is below the 2027 cliff of $63,840 for a single-person household. Your own income and household size decide the answer.
What is the benchmark premium in Colorado for 2027?
$615 a month for a 40-year-old, ranking 7 of 23 states published here. That is full price before any premium tax credit.
Where do these numbers come from?
Premiums come from the CMS Plan Year 2027 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file and published state rate approvals. Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Both are reproduced unmodified; the full wage dataset is downloadable as CSV or JSON.

Going deeper on Colorado

This page compares states. For Colorado specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — that is published on Coverage by County. To check whether a plan actually covers your hospital, see Plans By City.

← Car Wash Operators in all states · All trades · All occupations

How Colorado compares with every other state →

Want this worked out for your ZIP?

Put your ZIP code in and a licensed agent will show you the carriers filing in your county, what the cheapest plan costs, and what you would actually pay after any help you qualify for. No cost, and you talk to a licensed agent — not a call center.

See what it costs where you live →

Open Enrollment 2027 for Car Wash Operators in Colorado

Colorado is a state-run marketplace state: Connect for Health Colorado publishes the 2027 plans, and the enrollment window runs from November 1.

The window runs from November 1, and December 15 is the deadline for coverage that starts January 1 — in Colorado and on every marketplace.

Worth settling before December 15

The 2027 plans are posted and the deadline for a January 1 start is December 15. Ten minutes with your ZIP code settles which plan still fits.

Enter a ZIP and a licensed agent will tell you three things:

Compare my 2027 options →

Colorado Car Wash Operators: your county sets the price, not your trade

Coverage for Car Wash Operators is priced county by county across Colorado. Enter your ZIP and a licensed agent will show you what is on the table.

Takes about 30 seconds. No account, and you choose how you are reached.

“I run my own business and my time is valuable. Daniel handled everything — compared the private options, explained what I was actually getting, and had me covered fast. Way better experience than trying to navigate it myself.”
Mark T., client