NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Boulder, CO

Metro Market Score 61.4 (Difficult), ranked #253 of 331 metros. 944 establishments, 3,973 jobs.

Metro Market Score 61.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national finance and insurance average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for finance and insurance in Boulder are tougher than average. The 61.4 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and moderate competition. Rank: #253 of 331 metros.

Industry Concentration

30.2

LQ: 0.50

Rank #100 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

97.0

$157,900 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 23.6

Employment growth index

Rank #254 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

33.4

YoY wage change index

944 Finance and Insurance Firms in Boulder

944

Establishments

-4.3% YoY

3,973

Total Employment

-3.6% YoY

$157,900

Average Annual Wage

+1.3% YoY

0.50

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Colorado

#5 of 6

finance and insurance metros in state

Colorado state rank

#50 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+7.5

worse than median (53.9)

Boulder vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #50/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boulder	CO Statewide
Overall Score	61.4 Difficult	67.3 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#253 of 331 metros	#50 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 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 66.6 Information 68.1 Accommodation and Food Services 71.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 84.0

Finance and Insurance in Other Colorado Metros

Pueblo 42.9 #126/331 Greeley 52.5 #193/331 Grand Junction 53.6 #205/331 Fort Collins-Loveland 53.9 #207/331 Colorado Springs 68.5 #285/331

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boulder's 61.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Burlington, NC 61.4 #252/331 Fort Wayne, IN 61.4 #254/331 Bellingham, WA 61.5 #255/331 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT 61.8 #256/331 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 61.0 #251/331 Anchorage, AK 61.9 #257/331 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 60.9 #250/331 Lincoln, NE 62.0 #258/331 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 62.0 #259/331 Wausau, WI 60.6 #249/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Colorado

State-level entry risk for finance and insurance in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Nebraska 49.4 #20/51 Utah 51.9 #27/51 Arizona 52.6 #29/51 New Mexico 53.1 #31/51 Kansas 57.0 #42/51 Wyoming 62.0 #47/51 Oklahoma 64.9 #48/51

Browse Finance and Insurance in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for finance and insurance 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 finance and insurance sector, the wage competitiveness component (97.0) 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