Salaries in Boulder.
3,500+ roles. One city.
Cost-of-living index: 1.15x national average. Last updated April 2026.
3445 roles tracked
Highest Paying
$407,000
Principal Quantitative Researcher
Median of All Roles
$180,000
AI Ethics Researcher
Entry Level
$36,000
Hotel Clerk / Front Desk
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
Boulder, CO has a cost-of-living index of 1.15x the national average. The highest-paying role is Principal Quantitative Researcher at $407,000, while the median across all 3445 roles is $180,000. Boulder is one of America's most concentrated startup hubs per capita, with a strong presence in aerospace, natural products, and technology.
About the Boulder market
Boulder is one of America's most concentrated startup hubs per capita, with a strong presence in aerospace, natural products, and technology. The University of Colorado and national labs like NIST and NOAA drive research employment. Outdoor lifestyle attracts top talent willing to accept slightly lower salaries.
Technology & StartupsAerospaceNatural ProductsResearch LabsClean Energy
Top 50 salaries in Boulder
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $407,000 | $317,000 – $528,000 |
| 2 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $398,000 | $311,000 – $518,000 |
| 3 | Senior VP of Security | $398,000 | $311,000 – $518,000 |
| 4 | Technical Fellow | $390,000 | $305,000 – $508,000 |
| 5 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $384,000 | $300,000 – $499,000 |
| 6 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $373,000 | $291,000 – $486,000 |
| 7 | SVP of Technology | $369,000 | $289,000 – $481,000 |
| 8 | Distinguished Engineer | $368,000 | $279,000 – $469,000 |
| 9 | Senior VP of Product | $368,000 | $287,000 – $478,000 |
| 10 | Chief Security Officer | $368,000 | $287,000 – $479,000 |
| 11 | Senior VP of Design | $367,000 | $287,000 – $477,000 |
| 12 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $365,000 | $285,000 – $474,000 |
| 13 | Chief AI Officer | $364,000 | $270,000 – $469,000 |
| 14 | SVP of Product | $364,000 | $284,000 – $473,000 |
| 15 | Principal Cryptographer | $362,000 | $283,000 – $471,000 |
| 16 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $359,000 | $280,000 – $467,000 |
| 17 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $359,000 | $280,000 – $467,000 |
| 18 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $355,000 | $277,000 – $462,000 |
| 19 | SVP of Sales | $355,000 | $277,000 – $462,000 |
| 20 | Principal LLM Engineer | $353,000 | $275,000 – $458,000 |
| 21 | Chief Science Officer | $353,000 | $276,000 – $459,000 |
| 22 | L7 Software Engineer | $353,000 | $276,000 – $459,000 |
| 23 | Lead High-Frequency Trading Engineer | $352,000 | $275,000 – $457,000 |
| 24 | Chief Architect | $352,000 | $274,000 – $457,000 |
| 25 | Principal Computer Vision Engineer | $350,000 | $272,000 – $454,000 |
| 26 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $350,000 | $272,000 – $454,000 |
| 27 | SVP of Data | $349,000 | $272,000 – $455,000 |
| 28 | Chief Machine Learning Officer | $348,000 | $272,000 – $453,000 |
| 29 | SVP of Strategy | $348,000 | $272,000 – $453,000 |
| 30 | VP of AI | $347,000 | $263,000 – $454,000 |
| 31 | Principal AI Engineer | $346,000 | $269,000 – $450,000 |
| 32 | Principal NLP Engineer | $346,000 | $269,000 – $449,000 |
| 33 | Principal Compiler Engineer | $346,000 | $269,000 – $449,000 |
| 34 | Chief Commercial Officer | $346,000 | $270,000 – $450,000 |
| 35 | VP of AI Research | $344,000 | $268,000 – $447,000 |
| 36 | Chief Transformation Officer | $344,000 | $268,000 – $447,000 |
| 37 | SVP of Marketing | $344,000 | $268,000 – $447,000 |
| 38 | Chief Design Officer | $343,000 | $267,000 – $446,000 |
| 39 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $342,000 | $267,000 – $445,000 |
| 40 | SVP of Engineering | $342,000 | $267,000 – $445,000 |
| 41 | Principal Quantitative Analyst | $342,000 | $267,000 – $444,000 |
| 42 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $342,000 | $267,000 – $445,000 |
| 43 | Chief Strategy Officer | $342,000 | $267,000 – $445,000 |
| 44 | SVP of AI Innovation | $341,000 | $257,000 – $449,000 |
| 45 | Principal Applied Scientist | $341,000 | $267,000 – $444,000 |
| 46 | Senior Head of Product | $341,000 | $267,000 – $445,000 |
| 47 | Staff AI Safety Engineer | $340,000 | $265,000 – $442,000 |
| 48 | Chief Risk Officer | $340,000 | $265,000 – $442,000 |
| 49 | Principal Machine Learning Engineer | $339,000 | $264,000 – $440,000 |
| 50 | Principal AI Infrastructure Engineer | $339,000 | $264,000 – $440,000 |
Tax considerations
Colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax. Boulder has no additional city income tax. The moderate rate combined with high quality of life makes it competitive despite higher housing costs.
Negotiating in Boulder
Reference the startup density. Boulder employers compete fiercely for talent and often offer equity packages that rival larger metros. Negotiate total compensation, not just base.
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