NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Boulder, CO

Metro Market Score 71.6 (Difficult), ranked #268 of 298 metros. 898 establishments, 16,694 jobs.

Metro Market Score 71.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national accommodation and food services average.

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Boulder stands out for high accommodation and food services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 87.9 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 71.7 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

33.2

LQ: 0.95

Rank #99 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

87.9

$31,715 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 10.1

Employment growth index

Rank #269 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

71.7

YoY wage change index

898 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Boulder

898

Establishments

-2.3% YoY

16,694

Total Employment

-3.2% YoY

$31,715

Average Annual Wage

+3.6% YoY

0.95

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Colorado

#5 of 6

accommodation and food services metros in state

Colorado state rank

#41 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

+6.7

worse than median (64.9)

Boulder vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #41/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boulder	CO Statewide
Overall Score	71.6 Difficult	46.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#268 of 298 metros	#41 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Boulder

Construction 53.8 Administrative and Support Services 54.0 Healthcare and Social Assistance 54.6 Other Services 55.5 Retail Trade 58.3 Finance and Insurance 61.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 66.6 Information 68.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 84.0

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Colorado Metros

Greeley 44.4 #78/298 Pueblo 55.0 #157/298 Fort Collins-Loveland 62.8 #213/298 Grand Junction 64.9 #226/298 Colorado Springs 78.6 #286/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boulder's 71.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Port St. Lucie, FL 71.9 #269/298 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 71.9 #270/298 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ 71.3 #267/298 Vallejo, CA 71.3 #266/298 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 72.3 #271/298 Elizabethtown, KY 72.6 #272/298 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 72.7 #273/298 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 70.4 #265/298 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 72.8 #274/298 Yuba City, CA 70.4 #264/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Colorado

State-level entry risk for accommodation and food services in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

New Mexico 24.5 #3/51 Kansas 34.2 #18/51 Oklahoma 35.0 #20/51 Utah 36.5 #22/51 Nebraska 41.5 #31/51 Arizona 46.9 #40/51 Wyoming 55.0 #45/51

Browse Accommodation and Food Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for accommodation and food services across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Boulder's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (89.9) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Boulder, CO MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment