Boulder, Colorado
Strongest category: Work (74/100). Category scores: cost and climate 47, work 74, daily life 65, community 53.
Boulder is a high-cost housing screen with a bright climate. Public benchmarks show ACS median gross rent at $1,828/mo and HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent at $2,217/mo; summer/winter markers are 86F/14F. The strongest screening signals are outdoor access and restaurant density. Verify current listings, commute routes, neighborhood safety, and school boundaries before treating it as a fit.
Public-data relocation screen for Boulder
Walkability is a commute-derived estimate blended with public density data where available, not a third-party rating. ACS rent reflects existing renter stock; HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent is a separate public gross-rent benchmark. Food/nightlife use CBP establishment density, and the school signal blends ACS attainment with NCES public-school access. Coast, mountain, park, trail, ski, and beach distances are city-level GIS screening bands, not parcel-level access or travel-time measurements.
Cost, taxes, and climate
| ACS median gross rent | $1,828/mo | Census ACS existing-renter median gross rent |
|---|---|---|
| HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent | $2,217/mo | FY2026 benchmark for Boulder, CO MSA |
| Median home value | $671,000 | ACS owner-occupied home value, rounded |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | State top marginal wage/salary tax; local taxes excluded |
| Cost index | 10/10 | WhereToThrive relative cost score from public housing inputs |
Climate profile
| Summer high | 86°F | NOAA-derived summer temperature screen |
|---|---|---|
| Winter low | 14°F | NOAA-derived winter temperature screen |
| Sunshine | 7/10 | Higher means sunnier relative to other metros |
| Humidity | 1/3 | Broad humidity band |
| Natural disaster risk | 2/3 | Broad public-data screening band |
Work: jobs, commute, and access
| Industry strengths | Technology, Healthcare, Energy | Project-maintained metro industry tags |
|---|---|---|
| Average commute | 25.4 min | ACS commute-time estimate |
| Airport access | Regional/no hub flag | Practical travel signal |
| Work pillar score | 74/100 | WhereToThrive work-market screen |
Daily life: outdoors, food, and walkability
| Outdoor score | 9/10 | Formula/curated score with GIS recreation inputs |
|---|---|---|
| Food score | 8/10 | Blends CBP restaurant density and curated context |
| Nightlife score | 6/10 | Blends CBP drinking-place density and context |
| Walkability estimate | 29/100 | Commute-and-density proxy, not third-party Walk Score |
| Restaurants (CBP) | 763 | 232.2 per 100k residents |
| Park / trail access | 1 mi / 4 mi | Public GIS screening distances |
| Coast / beach access | 750 mi / N/A | Screening distance bands |
| Mountain / ski access | 25 mi / 17 mi | Screening distance bands |
Community: safety, schools, and culture
| Safety score | 38/100 | Violent crime 532.2 and property crime 3,812.5 per 100k where available |
|---|---|---|
| Public schools (NCES) | 8/10 | 86 public schools; 26.2 per 100k |
| Diversity score | 4/10 | ACS-derived metro diversity signal |
| Political lean | -0.2 | State/metro political context; negative is more Democratic-leaning |
| Community pillar score | 53/100 | Safety, school, and diversity blend |
Boulder FAQ
Is Boulder, CO affordable?
Boulder, CO has ACS median gross rent of $1,828/mo and HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,217/mo. Those are public benchmarks, not apartment-listing quotes.
What is the climate like in Boulder?
The climate screen shows a summer high around 86°F, winter low around 14°F, sunshine score 7/10, and disaster-risk band 2/3.
Is Boulder good for families?
The family screen combines school score 8/10, safety score 38/100, and 86 NCES public schools. It is a metro-level screen, not a school-district rating.
How should I use this Boulder data?
Use it as a first-pass relocation shortlist. WhereToThrive labels sources, dates, and proxy fields so you can compare cities quickly, then verify neighborhoods, employers, schools, and housing options locally.
Explore around Boulder
Nearest cities
- Denver, CO 24 mi away
- Fort Collins, CO 41 mi away
- Greeley, CO 41 mi away
- Colorado Springs, CO 85 mi away
- Provo, UT 338 mi away
Data Sources
- Demographics and housing: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates City label: US Census ACS 2022 5-year
- HUD Fair Market Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents geospatial feature service City label: HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents
- Climate: NOAA climate normals local pipeline City label: NOAA climate normals local pipeline
- Employment: BLS local employment pipeline City label: BLS local employment pipeline
- Commute and walkability: U.S. Census Bureau ACS commute tables City label: US Census ACS commute tables
- Safety: FBI Crime Data / UCR local aggregate City label: FBI Crime Data API local aggregate
- Political lean: County election aggregate City label: county election aggregate
- Location: Metro concordance and coordinate overrides City label: GeoNames city centroid
- Geographic proximity: WhereToThrive GIS-derived geography reference City label: Natural Earth GIS-derived geography reference
- Outdoor recreation geography: WhereToThrive public outdoor recreation GIS metrics City label: USGS/USFS/NOAA public outdoor recreation GIS metrics
- Restaurant and nightlife access: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns metro file City label: Census County Business Patterns 2023 restaurant density
- Public school access: NCES EDGE public school locations City label: NCES EDGE 2024-25 public school locations
- State tax: Tax Foundation State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets City label: Tax Foundation 2026 state individual income tax table
- Editorial scoring: WhereToThrive editorial formulas and curated overrides City label: WhereToThrive editorial formulas and curated overrides
- Methodology: How scores and source labels are calculated
Field Quality
Source quality summary: 14 direct/curated | 8 formula/proxy. These labels explain whether key fields are direct, curated, formula-derived, proxy estimates, fallback estimates, or unavailable.
- Population: Direct public metric
- ACS median gross rent: Direct public metric
- HUD Fair Market Rent: Direct public metric
- Median home value: Direct public metric
- Climate: Curated public-data blend
- Employment: Curated public-data blend
- Average commute: Direct public metric
- Walkability: Formula-derived score
- Safety: Curated public-data blend
- Political lean: Curated public-data blend
- Coordinates: Curated public-data blend
- Geographic proximity: Formula-derived score
- Outdoor recreation: Formula-derived score
- State tax: Curated public-data blend
- Cost index: Formula-derived score
- Restaurant density: Direct public metric
- Food score: Formula-derived score
- Nightlife score: Formula-derived score
- Outdoor score: Formula-derived score
- Diversity score: Direct public metric
- Public school access: Direct public metric
- School score: Formula-derived score
Compare Boulder against your own constraints
Take the questionnaire to compare Boulder against your housing budget, climate preferences, work needs, family needs, and daily-life priorities.
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