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Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters salary in Boulder, CO

Median pay for plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters in Boulder, CO: $65,630/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $47,780 – $98,000 · about 430 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($59,690) by +$5,940 (+10%).

What it's really worth in Boulder

With Boulder's cost of living at 101 (US=100), that $65,630 has the buying power of about $65,229 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $99,770 · median home $727,954 · median rent $2,257/mo.

Full Boulder cost of living & taxes →

How Boulder ranks for this job

On raw pay, Boulder, CO is 47th of the 187 metros we hold plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters wages for. Once Boulder's cost of living is applied, it ranks 66th.

The headline number flatters Boulder. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Boulder

A median home in Boulder, CO costs $727,954 — about 11.1× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $2,257/mo works out at 41% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Boulder.

MetroMedian payvs BoulderRent vs Boulder
Chicago, IL $101,560 +55%
Kennewick, WA $97,150 +48% 0.8×
Minneapolis, MN $96,200 +47% 0.8×
Duluth, MN $88,000 +34% 0.6×

Same job elsewhere in CO

MetroMedian payvs BoulderRent vs Boulder
Denver, CO $64,030 −2% 0.8×
Fort Collins, CO $61,360 −7% 0.9×
Colorado Springs, CO $60,610 −8% 0.8×
Greeley, CO $56,250 −14% 0.8×

Staying in CO keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Boulder

Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.