Salaries in Boulder.

3,445 roles. One city.

Cost-of-living index: 1.15x national average. Last updated August 2026.

3,445 roles tracked

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Highest Paying

$398,000

Senior VP of Security

Median of All Roles

$159,000

Real Estate Frontend Engineer

Entry Level

$38,000

Hotel Clerk / Front Desk

The salary figures on this page are computed estimates, not observed wages. Each one is a national role baseline scaled by a Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity cost-of-living multiplier (2025 index) and rounded to the nearest $1,000. No published wage percentile is consulted and no wage survey response enters the calculation, so an Orbyt estimate must not be cited as a Bureau of Labor Statistics figure or as measured pay. The published wage data Orbyt holds is Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application filings, which record a filed minimum visa base wage rather than market pay. Where BLS publishes a wage for the occupation a role maps to, it is shown on that role's page as a separate benchmark, labelled with its occupation code, metro area and the number of employed workers it covers. Last updated August 2026.

Boulder, CO has a cost-of-living index of 1.15x the national average. The highest-paying role is Senior VP of Security at $398,000, while the median across all 3,445 roles is $159,000. Boulder is one of America's most concentrated startup hubs per capita, with a strong presence in aerospace, natural products, and technology.

About the Boulder market

Boulder is one of America's most concentrated startup hubs per capita, with a strong presence in aerospace, natural products, and technology. The University of Colorado and national labs like NIST and NOAA drive research employment. Outdoor lifestyle attracts top talent willing to accept slightly lower salaries.

Technology & StartupsAerospaceNatural ProductsResearch LabsClean Energy

Top 50 salaries in Boulder

#	Role	Median	Range
1	Senior VP of Security	$398,000	$338,000 – $518,000
2	SVP of AI Innovation	$388,000	$329,000 – $504,000
3	SVP of Data	$384,000	$326,000 – $499,000
4	SVP of Product	$380,000	$323,000 – $494,000
5	SVP of Technology	$380,000	$323,000 – $494,000
6	SVP of Finance	$373,000	$317,000 – $484,000
7	Senior VP of Product	$368,000	$287,000 – $478,000
8	Chief Security Officer	$368,000	$287,000 – $479,000
9	Senior VP of Design	$367,000	$287,000 – $477,000
10	Chief AI Officer	$364,000	$270,000 – $469,000
11	VP of AI Product	$362,000	$309,000 – $471,000
12	VP of AI Engineering	$362,000	$309,000 – $471,000
13	VP of AI	$362,000	$309,000 – $471,000
14	VP of Infrastructure	$362,000	$309,000 – $471,000
15	VP of Technical Support	$362,000	$309,000 – $471,000
16	VP of Core Engineering	$362,000	$309,000 – $471,000
17	VP of AI Research	$359,000	$306,000 – $467,000
18	VP of Mobile	$359,000	$306,000 – $467,000
19	VP of Analytics	$359,000	$306,000 – $467,000
20	VP of Information Technology	$359,000	$306,000 – $467,000
21	VP of Security Engineering	$359,000	$306,000 – $467,000
22	VP of Network Engineering	$359,000	$306,000 – $467,000
23	SVP of Engineering	$358,000	$304,000 – $465,000
24	VP of Finance	$355,000	$302,000 – $462,000
25	VP of Information Security	$355,000	$303,000 – $462,000
26	VP of Data	$355,000	$303,000 – $462,000
27	VP of Database Engineering	$355,000	$303,000 – $462,000
28	SVP of Sales	$355,000	$277,000 – $462,000
29	Chief Science Officer	$353,000	$276,000 – $459,000
30	VP of Risk	$352,000	$299,000 – $457,000
31	Chief Architect	$352,000	$299,000 – $457,000
32	VP of Application Engineering	$352,000	$300,000 – $458,000
33	VP of Cybersecurity	$352,000	$300,000 – $458,000
34	VP of Machine Learning	$348,000	$297,000 – $453,000
35	VP of Data Science	$348,000	$297,000 – $453,000
36	Chief Machine Learning Officer	$348,000	$272,000 – $453,000
37	VP of Privacy	$348,000	$297,000 – $453,000
38	SVP of Strategy	$348,000	$272,000 – $453,000
39	Chief Commercial Officer	$346,000	$270,000 – $450,000
40	VP of Cloud	$345,000	$294,000 – $449,000
41	VP of Developer Experience	$345,000	$294,000 – $449,000
42	VP of Partner Engineering	$345,000	$294,000 – $449,000
43	Chief Transformation Officer	$344,000	$268,000 – $447,000
44	SVP of Marketing	$344,000	$268,000 – $447,000
45	Chief Design Officer	$343,000	$267,000 – $446,000
46	Chief Strategy Officer	$342,000	$267,000 – $445,000
47	Senior Head of Product	$341,000	$267,000 – $445,000
48	VP of IT	$341,000	$291,000 – $444,000
49	VP of Site Reliability Engineering	$341,000	$291,000 – $444,000
50	Chief Risk Officer	$340,000	$265,000 – $442,000

Tax considerations

Colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax. Boulder has no additional city income tax. The moderate rate combined with high quality of life makes it competitive despite higher housing costs.

Negotiating in Boulder

Reference the startup density. Boulder employers compete fiercely for talent and often offer equity packages that rival larger metros. Negotiate total compensation, not just base.

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