Boulder, CO

Census Place

2024 Population

106,433

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

21.5%

1.61% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$87,493

2.49% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$1.04M

5.79% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

57,272

Population & Diversity

Boulder, CO is home to a population of 106k people, from which 94.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10.8% of Boulder, CO residents were born outside of the country (11.5k people).

In 2024, there were 12.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (83.1k people) in Boulder, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.45k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 5.74k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.3%

2024 Citizenship

94.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.3% of Boulder, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Boulder, CO was 94.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Boulder, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Boulder, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
83.1k ± 1.01k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
6.45k ± 703
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
5.74k ± 554

10.7%

Hispanic Population

11.4k people

10.7% of the people in Boulder, CO are hispanic (11.4k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Boulder, CO as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Colorado.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
205,206 ± 10,925 people
India
23,918 ± 3,789 people
China
18,011 ± 3,290 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Colorado was Mexico, the natal country of 205,206 Colorado residents, followed by India with 23,918 and China with 18,011.

Foreign-Born Population

10.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

11.5k people

10.2%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

10.9k people

As of 2024, 10.8% of Boulder, CO residents (11.5k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Boulder, CO was 10.2%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Boulder, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
953 ± 241
Gulf War (2001-)
661 ± 192
Gulf War (1990s)
334 ± 164

Boulder, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.44 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Boulder, CO.

Economy

The economy of Boulder, CO employs 57.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Boulder, CO were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,576 people), Educational Services (10,243 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (5,645 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($111,006), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($105,238), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($103,438).

Employment

Occupations

57.3k

2024 Value

± 1,943

−0.343%

1 Year decline

± 4.82%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Boulder, CO declined at a rate of −0.343%, from 57.5k employees to 57.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Boulder, CO, are Management Occupations (6,807 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (6,139 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (5,643 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Boulder, CO.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Colorado (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

57.3k

2024 Value

± 1,943

−0.343%

1 Year decline

± 4.82%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Boulder, CO declined at a rate of −0.343%, from 57.5k employees to 57.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Boulder, CO, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (10,576 people), Educational Services (10,243 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (5,645 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Boulder, CO, though some of these residents may live in Boulder, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,334

Median earning men ± $4,965

$37,144

Median earning women ± $3,002

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($151,750), Information ($104,792), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($101,955).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($96,377), Manufacturing ($91,875), and Wholesale Trade ($87,404).

Education

The student population of Boulder, CO in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 23,358 male students and 25,051 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Boulder, CO are White (7,813 and 61.7%), Hispanic or Latino (1,517 and 12%), Black or African American (1,441 and 11.4%), and Two or More Races (777 and 6.14%).

The largest universities in Boulder, CO by number of degrees awarded are University of Colorado Boulder (9,837 and 72.3%), Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder (3,456 and 25.4%), and Naropa University (285 and 2.1%).

The most popular majors in Boulder, CO are Culinary Arts & Chef Training (1,922 and 14.1%), Baking & Pastry Arts (1,355 and 9.96%), and General Business Administration & Management (1,290 and 9.49%).

The median tuition costs are $36,120 for private four year colleges, and $13,510 and $41,212 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Boulder, CO, the percentage of applicants admitted was 78.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 14.2%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 48,409 (48.3% men and 51.7% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 48,409 students enrolled in Boulder, CO, 48.3% men and 51.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 28,512 records, of which 50% were women and 50% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
1,147 degrees awarded
General Psychology
703 degrees awarded
Computer Science
386 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Boulder, CO was General Business Administration & Management with 1,147 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Boulder, CO according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Colorado Boulder
9,837 degrees awarded
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Boulder
3,456 degrees awarded
Naropa University
285 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Colorado Boulder with 9,837 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 6,239 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Boulder, CO, which is 0.848 times less than the 7,360 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 7,813 degrees mean that there were 5.15 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 1,517 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($36,120) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,704) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,253) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Boulder, CO was $1.04M in 2024, which is 3.12 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $982,600 to $1.04M, a 5.79% increase. The homeownership rate in Boulder, CO is 47.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Boulder, CO have an average commute time of 18.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Boulder, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$1.04M

Median Property Value 2024

±$40,565

$20,977

Median Property Taxes

±$986

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Boulder, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Boulder, CO compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

47.2%

Homeownership

2024

71.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 47.2% of the housing units in Boulder, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 47.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Boulder, CO compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$87,493

Median Household Income

± $6,221

44.4k

Number of Households

± 1,580

In 2024, the median household income of the 44.4k households in Boulder, CO grew to $87,493 from the previous year's value of $85,364.

The following chart displays the households in Boulder, CO distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Boulder, CO is from Colorado.

0.46

2024 Wage GINI in Colorado

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in Colorado

In 2024, the income inequality in Colorado was 0.46 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.498% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Colorado was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Colorado in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Colorado across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (39.1%)
Worked At Home (34.4%)
Walked (9.53%)

In 2024, 39.1% of workers in Boulder, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (34.4%) and those who walked to work (9.53%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Boulder, CO have a shorter commute time (18.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.862% of the workforce in Boulder, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Boulder, CO compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Boulder, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Boulder, CO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

21.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Boulder, CO (20.3k out of 94.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Boulder, CO is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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