NAICS 53

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Boulder, CO

Metro Market Score 66.6 (Difficult), ranked #305 of 330 metros. 897 establishments, 2,470 jobs.

Metro Market Score 66.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national real estate and rental and leasing average.

💰High-Cost Market

Boulder's real estate and rental and leasing sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 9.7). That contraction, combined with a 66.6 market score, puts this metro in the bottom 10% for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

54.9

LQ: 0.82

Rank #181 of 330 metros

Wage Competitiveness

92.1

$76,030 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 9.7

Employment growth index

Rank #299 of 330 metros

Wage Pressure

13.6

YoY wage change index

897 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Firms in Boulder

897

Establishments

-6.7% YoY

2,470

Total Employment

-6.5% YoY

$76,030

Average Annual Wage

+1.0% YoY

0.82

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Colorado

#6 of 7

real estate and rental and leasing metros in state

Colorado state rank

#44 of 51

for real estate and rental and leasing entry risk

vs State Median

+3.4

worse than median (63.2)

Boulder vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's real estate and rental and leasing market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #44/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boulder	CO Statewide
Overall Score	66.6 Difficult	52.1 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#305 of 330 metros	#44 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 Information 68.1 Accommodation and Food Services 71.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 84.0

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other Colorado Metros

Pueblo 24.2 #38/330 Greeley 41.6 #156/330 Grand Junction 44.2 #176/330 Colorado Springs 63.2 #293/330 Fort Collins-Loveland 63.4 #294/330 Denver-Aurora-Centennial 68.3 #312/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boulder's 66.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 66.6 #306/330 Barnstable Town, MA 67.0 #307/330 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 67.1 #308/330 Casper, WY 67.6 #309/330 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 67.6 #310/330 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL 65.4 #304/330 Bozeman, MT 65.3 #303/330 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT 65.2 #302/330 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 65.1 #301/330 Asheville, NC 65.0 #300/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in States Bordering Colorado

State-level entry risk for real estate and rental and leasing in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Nebraska 26.3 #3/51 Kansas 41.4 #29/51 Oklahoma 42.0 #30/51 Utah 46.6 #38/51 Wyoming 49.6 #41/51 New Mexico 52.3 #45/51 Arizona 52.4 #46/51

Browse Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for real estate and rental and leasing 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 real estate and rental and leasing sector, the employment growth component (90.3) 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