Relocation profile · Federal data
Boulder, CO
Cost of living, rent, wages, safety, schools and environment for Boulder - every figure straight from federal data.
- 105.2
- Cost index (US=100)
- $2,124
- 2BR rent / mo
- $82,291
- Median salary
- 29.6
- LiveAbility Score
The verdict
As of June 2026, Boulder ranks #369 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (29.6/100), with its strongest marks in job market and schools.
- 29.6
- LiveAbility Score · Well below median
- #369
- of 387 US metros
- 105.2
- Cost of living (US=100)
- $82,291
- Median annual salary (BLS)
Weakest dimension: safety (7/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and five other federal agencies, Boulder has a cost-of-living index of 105.2 (100 = national average), a median 2-bedroom rent of $2,124/mo, and a median salary of $82,291. Its composite LiveAbility Score is 29.6/100, ranking #369 of 387 U.S. metros, with its strongest marks in job market and schools.
How Boulder ranks nationally
Where Boulder's LiveAbility Score falls among all 387 US metros scored.
Boulder has liveability score of 29.6. Distribution: 0 US metros at 0-10; 0 US metros at 10-20; 21 US metros at 20-30; 41 US metros at 30-40; 110 US metros at 40-50; 159 US metros at 50-60; 50 US metros at 60-70; 6 US metros at 70-80; 0 US metros at 80-90; 0 US metros at 90-100.
Boulder, CO: BEA RPP 105.2 (US=100), HUD 2BR rent $2,124/mo, BLS median salary $82,291, FBI violent crime 481/100K (state), NCES 1,923 schools (state), composite Life Score 40.7/100 (F). Source methodology + Life Score formula →
Relocation decisions rarely hinge on a single number. A metro with high salaries but a steep cost of living can leave less disposable income than a cheaper market, and a low crime rate matters more to some households than school options or commute times. The composite Life Score blends federal cost, wage, safety, and education data into one comparable figure, but each underlying component is shown separately so you can weight what matters to your own situation. Read every metric against your priorities rather than chasing the highest headline score, and confirm the latest figures on the official source before you commit to a move.
Key Metrics
Housing & Rent
HUD Fair Market Rents for the Boulder metropolitan area. Regional housing cost index: 157.0 (100 = national average).
Wages & Employment
Boulder has 178,320 total employment with a median salary of $82,291.
Top Occupations by Employment
| Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Software Developers | $164,560 |
| Retail Salespersons | $38,700 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $36,190 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | $94,040 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $99,990 |
Schools & Education
State-level education data for the Boulder area from NCES.
Childcare Costs
State-average childcare costs for the Boulder area (DOL data).
Life Score Breakdown
Boulder's composite Life Score is 40.7/100 (F), computed across 7 dimensions.
LiveAbility Score
View full rankings →Boulder ranks #369 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 29.6/100 - a composite of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →
Boulder - dimension scores
Percentile vs all US metros (100 = best in the nation for that dimension)
- Job market
Job market
97 /100
- Schools 37
Schools
37 /100
- Low hazard 37
Low hazard
37 /100
- Air quality 26
Air quality
26 /100
- Climate 14
Climate
14 /100
- Cost of living 7
Cost of living
7 /100
- Housing 7
Housing
7 /100
- Safety 7
Safety
7 /100
What this shows Boulder's strongest dimensions are job market and schools; its weakest is safety at 7/100. The composite weights cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.
Compare Boulder To
Explore More Boulder Data
Dive deeper into specific dimensions for Boulder with these specialized data portals.
💰
Cost of Living
BEA Regional Price Parities for Boulder - goods, services, and rent price indexes compared to national average.
PlainCost →
🏠
Fair Market Rents
HUD Fair Market Rents by county near Boulder - studio through 4-bedroom, with year-over-year trends.
PlainRent →
🏫
School Quality
NCES school data near Boulder - enrollment, student-teacher ratios, Title I status, and chronic absenteeism.
PlainSchools →
💵
Salary Data
BLS occupational wage data for Boulder - 830+ occupations with median and mean salaries.
WageDex →
📊
Metro Life Score
Boulder composite life score across 7 dimensions, cost, safety, schools, wages, weather, health, and environment.
PlainCompare →
🔓
Crime Data
FBI UCR crime statistics for cities near Boulder - violent crime, property crime, and trends.
PlainCrime →
📍
ZIP Code Data
Census demographics, income, and housing data for ZIP codes near Boulder.
PlainZIP →
Relocation Guides
Explore our in-depth guides to help plan your move to or from Boulder.
Cheapest Places With Good Schools
Find metros that balance affordability with school quality.
Cost vs. Quality of Life
How cost of living correlates with livability across US metros.
Best Cities for Remote Workers
Top metros for remote workers optimizing for cost, safety, and lifestyle.
Finding Your Ideal Metro
A step-by-step framework for choosing where to live.
How Relocation Data Works
Understand the 7 federal data sources behind our metro profiles.
Other Major Metro Areas
Explore relocation data for other major US metropolitan areas.
Compare Boulder Side-by-Side With Other Metros
This page is a relocation deep-dive on Boulder - cost of living, rent, wages, safety, schools, and more. When you're narrowing a shortlist, a side-by-side comparison across the same dimensions is faster. Put Boulder on the same scorecard as the metro you're weighing it against and see at a glance which move actually comes out ahead.
Thinking about Boulder?
How to use this profile before you commit to a move.
- Pressure-test Boulder against the metro you're weighing it against, same dimensions, side by side. Compare metros
- Check what your salary is actually worth here after the 105.2 cost-of-living index. Salary calculator
- Re-rank every US metro by the priorities that matter to you, turn up jobs, turn down climate. City Finder
Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a recommendation. Crime and schools use state-level data where metro-level isn't published. Always visit before you move.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) - state level
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - state level
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment use state-level data when metro-level is unavailable. This information is for research purposes only.
Related
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, HUD, BLS, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) - cost-of-living indices by metro and state. bea.gov/data/regional-price-parities
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - metro-level fair-market rent estimates. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates by metro. bls.gov/oes
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety scoring. fbi.gov/ucr
- NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators, state-level where metro-level isn't published. nces.ed.gov/ccd
- EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements, state-level where metro-level isn't published. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic + housing characteristics. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
Verify with U.S. Census Bureau → · Verify with FEMA →
Every figure on PlainRelocate is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.