Forbes magazine recently ranked the Metro Denver area, which includes Boulder, as the 8th most wired city in the country.
Industries & Companies
Boulder has a diverse economy representing a variety of industries. Most employment is in government (including the University of Colorado and federal labs) and the professional services, manufacturing, accommodations and food services, retail, health care, and information industries.
| Industry | Firms | Employees | Average Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government (Federal, State, Local)* | 36 | 17,584 | $48,080 |
| Professional, scientific, technical services | 1,668 | 12,933 | $80,069 |
| Manufacturing | 286 | 8,845 | $74,203 |
| Accommodation and food services | 405 | 8,522 | $16,776 |
| Retail trade | 648 | 7,966 | $27,609 |
| Health care and social assistance | 587 | 7,601 | $41,204 |
| Information | 227 | 7,124 | $88,718 |
| Finance and insurance | 386 | 3,432 | $74,543 |
| Administrative and waste services | 306 | 3,306 | $34,124 |
| Wholesale trade | 424 | 2,837 | $68,707 |
| Other services | 481 | 2,713 | $34,032 |
| Construction | 364 | 1,820 | $48,424 |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 135 | 1,552 | $19,415 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 403 | 1,516 | $43,658 |
| Educational services (private) | 150 | 1,450 | $24,974 |
| Management of companies & enterprises | 57 | 824 | $101,424 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 47 | 660 | $32,518 |
| Utilities | 8 | 184 | $72,630 |
| Mining | 13 | 74 | $63,463 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fish and hunting | 12 | 55 | $32,100 |
| Total | 6,640 | 90,997 | $53,253 |
*Includes the University of Colorado and federal labs
Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, QCEW Q1-Q4 2007 (unrevised); University of Colorado, Business Research Division
Top employers include the University of Colorado, Boulder Valley School District, IBM, Ball Aerospace, and Boulder Community Hospital.
| Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|
| University of Colorado | 6,902 |
| Boulder Valley School District | 4,296 |
| IBM Corporation | 3,400 |
| Ball Aerospace | 3,100 |
| Boulder Community Hospital | 2,374 |
| Covidien | 1,750 |
| Boulder County | 1,700 |
| University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | 1,345 |
| City of Boulder | 1,103 |
| InfoPrint Solutions | 765 |
| Whole Foods | 650 |
| Emerson Process Management, Micro Motion | 611 |
| National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration | 417 |
| Array BioPharma | 375 |
| YMCA of Boulder Valley | 300 |
| Roche Colorado | 300 |
| McGuckin Hardware | 295 |
| Spectra Logic | 262 |
| National Institute of Standards & Technology | 246 |
| Leanin’ Tree | 225 |
| Webroot Software | 210 |
| Celestial Seasonings | 200 |
Source: Boulder County Business Report, 2008
The city has a high concentration of employment in several key industry clusters including:
- Aerospace
- Biosciences
- Data Storage
- Natural & Organic Products
- Outdoor Recreation
- Renewable Energy
- Software
- Tourism