NextChapter

Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Mountain West

Denver is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Mountain West, with a score of 83 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Denver, CO: 83 / 100
  • #2 Broomfield, CO: 83 / 100
  • #3 Salt Lake City, UT: 66 / 100
  • 10 cities ranked in the Mountain West
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Denver CO83 / 100
  2. 2Broomfield CO83 / 100
  3. 3Salt Lake City UT66 / 100
  4. 4Boulder CO64 / 100
  5. 5Aurora CO53 / 100
  6. 6Westminster CO52 / 100
  7. 7Colorado Springs CO39 / 100
  8. 8Las Vegas NV33 / 100
  9. 9Reno NV17 / 100
  10. 10Boise ID11 / 100

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Denver (83 / 100) is well clear of Boise at #10 (11 / 100).
  • Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,867 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Careers that use AI cluster in a few places. This list weighs the share and number of openings that ask for AI skills and the pay they offer, to show where AI work is concentrated.

How to use it

If you are building AI skills, the top cities show where the employers and the roles are. The gap between your city and the top is a guide to what to add to your résumé.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Denver CO

    83 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    16%
    AI-skill openings
    455
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 2,867 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Denver

  2. 2

    Broomfield CO

    83 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    11%
    AI-skill openings
    31
    Median posted pay
    $149k

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures

    Based on 285 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Broomfield

  3. 3

    Salt Lake City UT

    66 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    8%
    AI-skill openings
    82
    Median posted pay
    $126k

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 1,048 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Salt Lake City

  4. 4

    Boulder CO

    64 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    7%
    AI-skill openings
    30
    Median posted pay
    $145k

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing

    Based on 423 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boulder

  5. 5

    Aurora CO

    53 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    7%
    AI-skill openings
    22
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, CACI International, RTX

    Based on 335 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Aurora

  6. 6

    Westminster CO

    52 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    6%
    AI-skill openings
    15
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Westminster

  7. 7

    Colorado Springs CO

    39 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    5%
    AI-skill openings
    34
    Median posted pay
    $118k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 692 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Colorado Springs

  8. 8

    Las Vegas NV

    33 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    5%
    AI-skill openings
    43
    Median posted pay
    $105k

    Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4

    Based on 932 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Las Vegas

  9. 9

    Reno NV

    17 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    4%
    AI-skill openings
    12
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment

    Based on 296 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Reno

  10. 10

    Boise ID

    11 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    4%
    AI-skill openings
    15
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

    Based on 360 openings.

Full ranking

All 10 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Denver CO83 / 1002,867
2Broomfield CO83 / 100285
3Salt Lake City UT66 / 1001,048
4Boulder CO64 / 100423
5Aurora CO53 / 100335
6Westminster CO52 / 100258
7Colorado Springs CO39 / 100692
8Las Vegas NV33 / 100932
9Reno NV17 / 100296
10Boise ID11 / 100360

How this ranking works

A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%.

A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.

Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for ai careers in the mountain west?
Denver is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Mountain West, with a score of 83 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
10 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 10 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-mountain-west

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-mountain-west">Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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