Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Mountain West
Key facts
- #1 Broomfield, CO: $144k
- #2 Westminster, CO: $143k
- #3 Boulder, CO: $141k
- 10 cities ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $129k across the typical city in our data.
- 1Broomfield CO$144k
- 2Westminster CO$143k
- 3Boulder CO$141k
- 4Aurora CO$138k
- 5Denver CO$132k
- 6Reno NV$132k
- 7Salt Lake City UT$127k
- 8Colorado Springs CO$114k
- 9Boise ID$108k
- 10Las Vegas NV$106k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Broomfield leads on $144k, and #10 Las Vegas is at $106k.
- Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 751 openings with pay posted behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 100 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
The top 25
- 1
Broomfield CO
$144k
- Median posted pay
- $149k
- State prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 58
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures
Based on 58 openings with pay posted.
- 2
Westminster CO
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $147k
- State prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 106
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 106 openings with pay posted.
- 3
Boulder CO
$141k
- Median posted pay
- $145k
- State prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 120
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing
Based on 120 openings with pay posted.
- 4
Aurora CO
$138k
- Median posted pay
- $142k
- State prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 53
Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX
Based on 53 openings with pay posted.
- 5
Denver CO
$132k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- Local prices vs US average
- +6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 751
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 751 openings with pay posted.
- 6
Reno NV
$132k
- Median posted pay
- $132k
- State prices vs US average
- +0%
- Openings with pay posted
- 54
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 54 openings with pay posted.
- 7
Salt Lake City UT
$127k
- Median posted pay
- $126k
- State prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 188
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 188 openings with pay posted.
- 8
Colorado Springs CO
$114k
- Median posted pay
- $118k
- State prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 100
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting
Based on 100 openings with pay posted.
- 9
Boise ID
$108k
- Median posted pay
- $103k
- State prices vs US average
- −5%
- Openings with pay posted
- 53
Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Based on 53 openings with pay posted.
- 10
Las Vegas NV
$106k
- Median posted pay
- $106k
- Local prices vs US average
- +0%
- Openings with pay posted
- 126
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 126 openings with pay posted.
Full ranking
All 10 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broomfield CO | $144k | 58 |
| 2 | Westminster CO | $143k | 106 |
| 3 | Boulder CO | $141k | 120 |
| 4 | Aurora CO | $138k | 53 |
| 5 | Denver CO | $132k | 751 |
| 6 | Reno NV | $132k | 54 |
| 7 | Salt Lake City UT | $127k | 188 |
| 8 | Colorado Springs CO | $114k | 100 |
| 9 | Boise ID | $108k | 53 |
| 10 | Las Vegas NV | $106k | 126 |
How this ranking works
The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 50 listings that post a salary 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 with pay posted are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024 (metro areas and states). 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 pay after cost of living in the mountain west?
- Broomfield leads the Mountain West for pay after the cost of living: its median posted salary buys what $144k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 10 cities have at least 100 openings with pay posted, so the list has 10 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 50 listings that post a salary 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
- Best cities for junior jobs in the Mountain West
- Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Mountain West
- Fastest-growing job markets in the Mountain West
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mountain West
- Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Mountain West
- Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Mountain West
- Best cities for pay after cost of living
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in California
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in Texas
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in Virginia
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living-in-the-mountain-west">Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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