NextChapter

Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Mountain West

Lehi leads the Mountain West for AI skills: 32% of its professional openings ask for them, against 10% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Lehi, UT: 32%
  • #2 Littleton, CO: 23%
  • #3 Denver, CO: 16%
  • 18 cities ranked in the Mountain West
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 10% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Lehi UT32%
  2. 2Littleton CO23%
  3. 3Denver CO16%
  4. 4Fort Collins CO12%
  5. 5Broomfield CO11%
  6. 6Greenwood Village CO11%
  7. 7Englewood CO8%
  8. 8Louisville CO8%
  9. 9Salt Lake City UT8%
  10. 10Boulder CO7%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Lehi (32%) is well clear of Boulder at #10 (7%).
  • Louisville reaches #8 on a sample of 125 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,885 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Lehi UT

    32%

    AI-skill openings
    82
    All openings
    254
    Median posted pay
    $118k

    Hiring most here: Pattern, Podium, Weave

    Based on 254 openings.

  2. 2

    Littleton CO

    23%

    AI-skill openings
    61
    All openings
    271
    Median posted pay
    $128k

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Services

    Based on 271 openings.

  3. 3

    Denver CO

    16%

    AI-skill openings
    455
    All openings
    2,885
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 2,885 openings.

  4. 4

    Fort Collins CO

    12%

    AI-skill openings
    20
    All openings
    169
    Median posted pay
    $129k

    Hiring most here: Broadcom, Anduril Industries, Advanced Energy

    Based on 169 openings.

  5. 5

    Broomfield CO

    11%

    AI-skill openings
    31
    All openings
    285
    Median posted pay
    $149k

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures

    Based on 285 openings.

  6. 6

    Greenwood Village CO

    11%

    AI-skill openings
    17
    All openings
    157
    Median posted pay
    $124k

    Hiring most here: CoBank ACB, Charter Communications, Black & Veatch

    Based on 157 openings.

  7. 7

    Englewood CO

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    21
    All openings
    249
    Median posted pay
    $111k

    Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin

    Based on 249 openings.

  8. 8

    Louisville CO

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    10
    All openings
    125
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: Infleqtion, Garmin, Arcfield

    Based on 125 openings.

  9. 9

    Salt Lake City UT

    8%

    AI-skill openings
    82
    All openings
    1,045
    Median posted pay
    $126k

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

    Based on 1,045 openings.

  10. 10

    Boulder CO

    7%

    AI-skill openings
    30
    All openings
    425
    Median posted pay
    $145k

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

    Based on 425 openings.

  11. 11

    Aurora CO

    7%

    AI-skill openings
    22
    All openings
    333
    Median posted pay
    $142k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX

    Based on 333 openings.

  12. 12

    Westminster CO

    6%

    AI-skill openings
    15
    All openings
    257
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro

    Based on 257 openings.

  13. 13

    Colorado Springs CO

    5%

    AI-skill openings
    34
    All openings
    691
    Median posted pay
    $118k

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

    Based on 691 openings.

  14. 14

    Las Vegas NV

    5%

    AI-skill openings
    43
    All openings
    917
    Median posted pay
    $106k

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

    Based on 917 openings.

  15. 15

    Centennial CO

    4%

    AI-skill openings
    7
    All openings
    157
    Median posted pay
    $99k

    Hiring most here: United Launch Alliance, Mastec, American Civil Constructors

    Based on 157 openings.

  16. 16

    Boise ID

    4%

    AI-skill openings
    15
    All openings
    354
    Median posted pay
    $103k

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

    Based on 354 openings.

  17. 17

    Reno NV

    4%

    AI-skill openings
    12
    All openings
    299
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment

    Based on 299 openings.

  18. 18

    Sparks NV

    1%

    AI-skill openings
    1
    All openings
    121
    Median posted pay
    $102k

    Hiring most here: Panasonic Energy North America, Amazon, Fleet

    Based on 121 openings.

Full ranking

All 18 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Lehi UT32%254
2Littleton CO23%271
3Denver CO16%2,885
4Fort Collins CO12%169
5Broomfield CO11%285
6Greenwood Village CO11%157
7Englewood CO8%249
8Louisville CO8%125
9Salt Lake City UT8%1,045
10Boulder CO7%425
11Aurora CO7%333
12Westminster CO6%257
13Colorado Springs CO5%691
14Las Vegas NV5%917
15Centennial CO4%157
16Boise ID4%354
17Reno NV4%299
18Sparks NV1%121

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text.

The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb.

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 on employer career sites, verified in the last week. 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 cities for ai-skill jobs in the mountain west?
Lehi leads the Mountain West for AI skills: 32% of its professional openings ask for them, against 10% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
18 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 18 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool, found by our AI-skill tagger on the posting text. The tagger looks for named skills (for example prompt engineering, machine learning, or a named AI tool), not the words "AI-powered" in a company blurb. 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 cities for AI-skill jobs in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-ai-jobs-in-the-mountain-west

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

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

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