H-1B salaries in Boulder, CO

Based on 1,080 certified H-1B filings in the Boulder, CO metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Base salary only.

Median salary$127,351
Middle 50%$100.1k–$154.2k
vs. national median+4%comparison median $122,699
Filings1,080FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $54,726 and $261,353.
PercentileSalary
10th$78,000
25th$100,135
50th (median)$127,351
75th$154,150
90th$187,383

Salary by year

Median salary

$80k $110k $140k FY2020: median $98,738 (654 filings) FY2021: median $97,958 (656 filings) FY2022: median $112,204 (714 filings) FY2023: median $111,900 (636 filings) FY2024: median $123,079 (570 filings) FY2025: median $124,000 (601 filings) FY2026: median $130,897 (479 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 654 filings FY20 FY2021: 656 filings FY21 FY2022: 714 filings FY22 FY2023: 636 filings FY23 FY2024: 570 filings FY24 FY2025: 601 filings FY25 FY2026: 479 filings FY26 714
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$98,738$84,302$119,013654
FY2021$97,958$84,287$122,225656
FY2022$112,204$90,000$139,313714
FY2023$111,900$93,000$139,543636
FY2024$123,079$95,881$152,101570
FY2025$124,000$98,612$152,100601
FY2026$130,897$101,566$157,078479

Cost of living

Boulder's median H-1B salary of $127,351 is worth about $121,100 at national average prices.

Fair market rent, 1-bedroom$1,735Per month. Source: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (Boulder, CO MSA).
Fair market rent, 2-bedroom$2,033Per month. Source: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (Boulder, CO MSA).
Price level (U.S. = 100)105.2Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Price-adjusted median$121,100Median salary ÷ (price level ÷ 100).
State income tax on wagesCO: yesSource: Tax Foundation, State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2025.

Most filed jobs

JobMedianFilings
Software Engineer$146,058306
Electrical Engineer$134,60058
Industrial Engineer$104,50045
Data Scientist$141,50044
QA Engineer$118,40736
Atmospheric and Space Scientist$99,91033
Systems Engineer / Architect$124,74932
Mechanical Engineer$113,84630
Astronomer$95,00021
Chemist$103,65021
Sales Engineer$140,10921
Validation Engineer$105,37321
Electronics Engineer$135,47019
IT Manager$205,02617
Programmer Analyst$109,20015