Boulder County · Colorado · West · 106k residents
Boulder, CO: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Boulder: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Colorado median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,948/wk. Colorado's corporate income tax rate is 4.4%. Commercial electricity averages 11.7¢/kWh.
Compare Boulder side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,948/wk
Corporate income tax
4.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher
76.8%
Commercial electricity
11.7¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Boulder's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
22/100
Cooling
Ranks Boulder's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $1,039,500 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $300 |
| Property tax rate | 0.5% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,718/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $2,139/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.89% |
| Sales tax | 7.8% |
| Corporate income tax | 4.4% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,948/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 76.8% |
| Commercial electricity | 11.7¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 56.6/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $164,560 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $103,290 |
| Wage: General manager | $152,100 |
| Wage: Customer service | $47,830 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $45,010 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $63,810 |
| Wage: Electrician | $64,120 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $38,700 |
| Cost of living index | 150 |
| Groceries index | 100 |
| Utilities | $160/mo |
| Transit pass | $88/mo |
| Gas price | $3.20/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,400/mo |
| Median household income | $87,493 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% |
| Population | 106k |
| Crime index | 52/100 |
| School rating | 6.5/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | 91/100 |
| Avg. commute | 26 min |
| Sunny days / year | 245 days |
| July high | 88°F |
| January low | 22°F |
| Annual snowfall | 93 in |
| Home price YoY | -1.5% |
| Home price MoM | -0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +1.1% |
| Rent MoM | -0.1% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -1.3% |
| Building permits YoY | -17.2% |
| Ocean coast | 823 mi |
| Big lake | 201 mi |
| Mountains | 26 mi |
| Major airport | 32 mi |
| Ski resort | 21 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Louisville, CO · 21k
- Lafayette, CO · 31k
- Erie, CO · 34k
- Broomfield, CO · 76k
- Longmont, CO · 99k
Similar size
- Centennial, CO · 108k
- Highlands Ranch, CO · 102k
- Greeley, CO · 111k
- Pueblo, CO · 112k
- Westminster, CO · 115k
Real listings in Boulder
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Boulder a good place to run a business?
- Colorado's corporate income tax rate is 4.4%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,948/wk; commercial electricity averages 11.7¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Boulder, CO?
- Boulder indexes at 150 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $2,139/mo and a acs median home value of $1,039,500.
- How much does a house cost in Boulder?
- The acs median home value in Boulder is $1,039,500 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Boulder?
- A two-bedroom in Boulder rents for about $2,139/mo.