PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Boulder, CO

32.6
Life Score / 100
F
Grade (curved)
#381
of 387 metros
2%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Boulder ranks #381 of 387 US metros, ahead of 2% - carried by its wages (97/100) and held back most by rent (7/100).

97
strongest: Wages
63
then: Schools
7
weakest: Rent
7
weighted dimensions

Where Boulder sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

33 2th percentile higher than 2% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). This entry sits in this band. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Above this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Boulder Life Score

Boulder's composite score of 32.6 out of 100, a grade of F, places the metro at rank #381 of 387, ahead of 2% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (97/100) and Schools (63/100), which pull the composite upward, while Rent (7/100) and Safety (7/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 105.2 (rent-RPP 157.0). BLS median salary $82,291, 178,320 jobs (Software Developers, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $2,124/mo (studio $1,553).

FBI UCR (CO): 481 violent, 2641 property/100K. NCES: 16.6:1 ratio, 14.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,821/yr. EPA: 24 Superfund sites (CO). Ranks #378-#384 below.

Dimension detail

How Boulder scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 7/100 (20%)
Wages 97/100 (20%)
Rent 7/100 (15%)
Safety 7/100 (15%)
Schools 63/100 (10%)
Childcare 24/100 (10%)
Environment 11/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

105.2
Cost Index (RPP)
$82,291
Avg Median Salary
$2,124
2BR Fair Market Rent
481
Violent Crime/100K (CO)
16.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$12,821
Infant Childcare/yr (CO)
24
Superfund Sites (CO)
178,320
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Boulder With...

Boulder vs Pueblo Compare → Boulder vs Grand Junction Compare → Boulder vs Greeley Compare → Boulder vs Wildwood Compare → Boulder vs Waterloo Compare → Boulder vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Boulder outranks 2% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#378 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 32.8 F
#379 Albuquerque, NM 32.9 F
#380 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 33.0 F
#381 Boulder, CO 32.6 F
#382 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 32.4 F
#383 Kingston, NY 31.8 F
#384 Great Falls, MT 30.6 F

CO Metro Scores

Pueblo, CO C+ 47.3 Grand Junction, CO C- 38.8 Greeley, CO D 37.2 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO D 36.3 Colorado Springs, CO D 34.8 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO F 32.8

Using Boulder's Life Score

Boulder is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is wages (97/100) and its weakest is rent (7/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Boulder head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Boulder lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Boulder's biggest strengths? ▼
Boulder's strongest dimensions are Wages (97/100), Schools (63/100), Childcare (24/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Boulder's weakest areas? ▼
Boulder's lowest-scoring dimensions are Rent (7/100), Safety (7/100), Cost of Living (7/100). Rent weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Boulder compared to the national average? ▼
Boulder's Regional Price Parity is 105.2 (5.2% more than national); rent RPP 157.0.
What is the average salary in Boulder? ▼
Boulder median salary: $82,291, 178,320 jobs. Top: Software Developers, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Boulder's 32.6/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, 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
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.