Boulder, Fort Collins ranked among best areas nationally for STEM grads

Boulder and the surrounding area is the third-best place in the country for college graduates in STEM fields, according to a new report from personal-finance website NerdWallet.com.

There has been growing interest in STEM – or science, technology, engineering and mathematics – fields as the job market demands more and more tech employees.

The Fort Collins-Loveland area ranked 18th on NerdWallet’s list, one spot ahead of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield area. Huntsville, Ala., meanwhile, took the top spot, topping San Jose, Calif.; Boulder; Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Seattle.

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NerdWallet compared the 354 largest metro areas in the country. The number of STEM employees per 1,000 total jobs accounted for 50 percent of each city’s score, while the average annual salary for STEM jobs and median gross rent in an area each accounted for 25 percent of a city’s score. Huntsville, with a large foothold in the aerospace industry, scored highly in all three areas, with high salaries and low cost of living.

The Boulder area, NerdWallet noted, “features one of the most prominent STEM job markets in the country, thanks to growth in its technology and aerospace industries. About 140 of every 1,000 jobs belong to a STEM occupation.”

The Fort Collins-Loveland area topped not only Denver but also Colorado Springs, which came in 22nd on the list.