NAICS 56

Administrative and Support Services in Boulder, CO

Metro Market Score 54.0 (Challenging), ranked #147 of 267 metros. 836 establishments, 5,487 jobs.

Metro Market Score 54.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national administrative and support services average.

💰High-Cost Market

At #147 of 267 metros, Boulder's administrative and support services sector scores 54.0 on the market index. Concentration (8.6), wage levels (91.0), and growth (37.5) all track close to the median. Local factors like lease costs and client access will matter more than macro signals.

Industry Concentration

8.6

LQ: 0.48

Rank #23 of 267 metros

Wage Competitiveness

91.0

$61,340 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 37.5

Employment growth index

Rank #168 of 267 metros

Wage Pressure

51.7

YoY wage change index

836 Administrative and Support Services Firms in Boulder

836

Establishments

-8.6% YoY

5,487

Total Employment

-3.7% YoY

$61,340

Average Annual Wage

-0.1% YoY

0.48

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Colorado

#2 of 6

administrative and support services metros in state

Colorado state rank

#45 of 51

for administrative and support services entry risk

vs State Median

-6.4

better than median (60.4)

Boulder vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's administrative and support services market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #45/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boulder	CO Statewide
Overall Score	54.0 Challenging	48.8 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#147 of 267 metros	#45 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 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 Accommodation and Food Services 71.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 84.0

Administrative and Support Services in Other Colorado Metros

Grand Junction 41.0 #60/267 Pueblo 56.4 #168/267 Fort Collins-Loveland 60.4 #197/267 Colorado Springs 64.7 #219/267 Greeley 71.2 #249/267

Administrative and Support Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boulder's 54.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 54.0 #146/267 Spartanburg, SC 54.1 #148/267 Ann Arbor, MI 54.2 #149/267 York-Hanover, PA 53.8 #145/267 Urban Honolulu, HI 54.2 #150/267 Kahului-Wailuku, HI 53.8 #144/267 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 54.3 #151/267 Fargo, ND 53.6 #143/267 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 54.4 #152/267 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 54.5 #153/267

Administrative and Support Services in States Bordering Colorado

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

Nebraska 21.4 #1/51 Oklahoma 32.9 #12/51 Kansas 39.8 #22/51 New Mexico 44.6 #41/51 Utah 47.5 #42/51 Arizona 47.6 #43/51 Wyoming 60.4 #49/51

Browse Administrative and Support Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for administrative and support 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 administrative and support services sector, the wage competitiveness component (91.0) 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