Bookkeeper salary in Boulder, CO
Budget above the national rate here. The median bookkeeper in Boulder earned $57,330 a year in May 20251, 6.2% above the Colorado statewide median of $54,000 and 13.1% above the US median of $50,670. Only 31 of 521 US areas pay more for this job. BLS counts about 1,440 people in this job here, 6% of the Colorado total.
BLS occupation 43-3031, area Boulder, CO. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Boulder against Colorado and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | $42,740 | $57,330 | $78,580 | |
| Colorado | $37,250 | $54,000 | $77,540 | |
| United States | $36,000 | $50,670 | $74,550 |
The middle half of bookkeepers in Boulder earns $48,370–$66,920. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $78,580, only 1.8 times the bottom tenth, against 2.1 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $18,550 wide, wider than in Colorado as a whole ($17,770) and the US ($17,950), so what a bookkeeper earns in Boulder depends more on the employer.
What to budget for a bookkeeper here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,740 | $3,562 | $20.55 | $55,148 |
| 25th percentile | $48,370 | $4,031 | $23.25 | $62,413 |
| Median | $57,330 | $4,778 | $27.56 | $73,974 |
| 75th percentile | $66,920 | $5,577 | $32.17 | $86,348 |
| 90th percentile | $78,580 | $6,548 | $37.78 | $101,394 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $9,590 a year in pay and about $12,374 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $8,960 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $50,670 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Boulder, and the Colorado statewide median of $54,000 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Boulder
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $16,644 to the $57,330 median and brings it to $73,974 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for bookkeepers we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Boulder
Of the 17 roles we track in Boulder, this one ranks #11 by median pay, between HR assistants ($59,690) and administrative assistants ($51,060). Project Coordinator is the highest at $122,040.
| Role | Median | vs bookkeeper | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralegal | +15.3% | 400 | |
| HR Assistant | +4.1% | 80 | |
| Bookkeeper | this role | 1,440 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -10.9% | 1,510 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | -12.8% | 170 |
Measured against the US median, bookkeepers rank #10 of the 17 roles we track in Boulder (+13.1%), between recruiters (+13.5%) and virtual receptionists (+12.6%). The typical role here is at +13.5%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Bookkeepers hold 6.1% of the jobs in the 16 of these roles with a job count in Boulder, 8.3% across Colorado and 8.7% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Colorado
Across the 10 areas of Colorado with data for this job, the median runs from $46,840 in Colorado Springs to $57,510 in Denver-Aurora, a gap of $10,670 a year. Of the 3 areas in Colorado with more bookkeepers than Boulder, 2 pay less: Colorado Springs, CO ($46,840) and Fort Collins-Loveland, CO ($53,310).
| Area | Median | vs Boulder | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora, CO | +0.3% | 14,100 | |
| Boulder, CO | this area | 1,440 | |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | -7.0% | 1,760 | |
| Northwest Colorado (Nonmetro) | -8.4% | 1,350 | |
| Greeley, CO | -11.6% | 1,020 | |
| Southwest Colorado (Nonmetro) | -14.0% | 1,250 | |
| Pueblo, CO | -14.8% | 480 |
Boulder against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Boulder is #177 of 521 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the top quarter of US areas. Outside Colorado, Norwich-New London and Oxnard-Thousand Oaks pay just above Boulder and Kennewick-Richland and Portland-Vancouver just below. All four are within $340 a year of the median in Boulder. Of the three markets with about as many bookkeepers, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Boulder | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA | +0.6% | 3,250 | pay | |
| Norwich-New London, CT | +0.3% | 910 | pay | |
| Boulder, CO | this area | 1,440 | ||
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | -0.1% | 1,070 | pay | |
| Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA | -0.5% | 12,170 | pay | |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | -2.1% | 1,440 | jobs | |
| Midland, TX | -8.9% | 1,440 | jobs | |
| Springfield, MO | -20.9% | 1,440 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a bookkeeper in Boulder, CO?
About $73,974 a year at the median, or $6,165 a month: $57,330 in pay plus about $16,644 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do bookkeepers earn in Boulder?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $57,330 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $42,740, the 90th $78,580, and the middle half earned $48,370 to $66,920.
Is Boulder cheaper than the rest of Colorado for bookkeepers?
No, it costs more: a median of $57,330 against $54,000 statewide. The next area up in Colorado is Denver-Aurora at $57,510, the next down Fort Collins-Loveland at $53,310.
How many bookkeepers work in Boulder?
BLS counts about 1,440 in the May 2025 survey. That is 6% of the Colorado total of 26,140. 3 areas in Colorado have more; the closest in size is Fort Collins-Loveland, with about 1,760.
Does a bookkeeper cost more than an administrative assistant in Boulder?
Yes: $6,270 a year more at the median. The medians are $57,330 and $51,060.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-3031: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.