What percentage of people rent in Boulder, CO?

Name: Renters and owners in Boulder, CO, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

52.8% (±1.5 points) of the occupied homes in Boulder, CO are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 23,455 renting households against 20,977 that own their home.

In Boulder, the share of households that rent went from 51.6% in 2015–2019 to 52.8% in 2020–2024 (+1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 52.8% (±1.5 points)
Renting households: 23,455 (±801)
Median renter income: $48,546 (±$5,736)

Who rents and who owns in Boulder

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Boulder	Boulder County	Colorado	United States
Renter-occupied share	52.8% (±1.5 points)	38.0% (±0.9 points)	33.8% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	23,455 (±801)	52,108 (±1,344)	802,483 (±6,593)	45,017,354
Owning households	20,977 (±780)	84,900 (±1,232)	1,571,735 (±8,198)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.0 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.2 (±0.1)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$48,546 (±$5,736)	$63,666 (±$1,864)	$63,537 (±$555)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$157,042 (±$8,444)	$141,555 (±$3,346)	$117,732 (±$838)	$100,009

In Boulder, the renter share is higher than in Boulder County (38.0%).

It is also higher than in Colorado (33.8%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Boulder County, Boulder ranks 1 of 11 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 25 of 339.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Boulder has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	51.6% (±1.4 points)	52.8% (±1.5 points)	+1.2 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,554 (±$42)	$2,018 (±$65)	+29.9%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$69,520 (±$2,648)	$87,493 (±$6,221)	+25.9%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Boulder

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Boulder
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Boulder	—	52.8% (±1.5 points)	—
Gunbarrel	5.0 mi	36.9% (±5.2 points)	Lower
Louisville	6.9 mi	28.3% (±3.7 points)	Lower
Niwot	7.0 mi	22.7% (±7.2 points)	Lower
Superior	8.1 mi	39.1% (±4.5 points)	Lower
Lafayette	8.3 mi	34.3% (±3.0 points)	Lower
Jamestown	10 mi	13.8% (±11.6 points)	Lower
Coal Creek (community)	10 mi	9.1% (±6.6 points)	Lower
Erie	11 mi	12.4% (±2.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Gunbarrel, CO (36.9%), Louisville, CO (28.3%), Niwot, CO (22.7%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Boulder County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Boulder	52.8% (±1.5 points)
2	Superior	39.1% (±4.5 points)
3	Longmont	37.5% (±1.7 points)
4	Gunbarrel	36.9% (±5.2 points)
5	Lafayette	34.3% (±3.0 points)
6	Louisville	28.3% (±3.7 points)
7	Nederland	27.3% (±11.4 points)

Showing 7 of 11 places in Boulder County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Boulder

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Questions about Boulder

How many renters are there in Boulder?

Boulder has an estimated 23,455 (±801) renting households, 52.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Boulder?

In Boulder, the share of households that rent went from 51.6% in 2015–2019 to 52.8% in 2020–2024 (+1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Boulder?

A renting household in Boulder has 2.0 people on average, against 2.2 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Boulder?

The median renting household in Boulder, CO has an income of $48,546 (±$5,736) a year, against $157,042 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Boulder city, Colorado (place:07850, in state:08).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.