Boulder’s economic growth wins no. 1 spot nationally

BOULDER – A new NerdWallet.com study ranks Boulder No. 1 in the country for economic growth from 2009 to 2013, thanks in large part to a steep rise in median wages over that period.

The NerdWallet study analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data for more than 500 of the largest American cities. Three criteria weighed in: growth in the working age population; employment growth; and median income growth.

While working age population growth in Boulder was minimal from 2009 to 2013 at 0.26 percent, median wages leaped 49.51 percent, more than anywhere else in the country. The employment rate, meanwhile, grew 5.42 percent. All three factors were weighted equally

“Boulder has experienced strong growth in recent years, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon,” NerdWallet wrote about Boulder. “A growing number of businesses, especially in the tech sector, have propelled the city’s rise.”

Boulder was the only Colorado city listed among the top 20 in the study.

College Station, Texas came in second, followed by Lawrence Mass., Muncie Ind., and Bloomington, Ind. California and Texas had four cities each in the top 20.

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