Boulder Creative Industries Report

Overview

In 2025, the arts scene in Boulder remained generally stable, with a variety of cultural institutions contributing to the economy. Creative industries are a vital component of Boulder, as Boulder consistently outpaces the rest of the country across multiple metrics that measure the vitality of creative industries.

Overall, Boulder's job profile remained relatively stable from 2024 to 2025, reflecting similar trends seen in the arts industry.

• There are an estimated 7,945 employers in the city of Boulder that employe a total of 91,990 employees with average annual wages of $115,081.
• Between 2024 and 2025, the number of employers in the city decreased by 1%, total employment increased by nearly 4%, and average annual wages decreased by nearly 3%.
• The city’s employers represent a broad range of industry categories. Industries representing the largest percentage of employment include Professional and Technical Services (21%), Government (19% includes the federal labs and CU, public schools, in addition to local government and other state and federal agencies), Health Care (10%), Manufacturing (9%) and Accommodation and Food Services (9%).
• While most industries experienced a decrease in employment between 2024 and 2025, there were a few that remained mostly unchanged or experienced growth. Industries that experienced employment growth were Transportation and Warehousing (20%), Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (5%), Health Care (1%), and Finance and Insurance (1%).
• Industries paying the highest average annual wages included Information ($273,167), Finance and Insurance ($208,777), Management ($185,553), Professional and Technical Services ($179,965), and Wholesale Trade ($155,333). Industries that had the lowest average wages were Arts, Entertainment and Recreation ($30,624), Accommodation and Food Services ($35,148), Retail ($47,565) and Educational Services ($49,713). Wage data includes both full-time and part-time workers.
• Broad industries with the highest employment location quotients were Information (3.39 more than 3x the national average) and Professional and Technical Services (3.08), Government (1.32), and Manufacturing (1.12).

Data above is provided from CU Boulder (Business Research Division, Leeds School of Business) based on Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data which might provide context. All data, unless otherwise noted, is for calendar year 2025 and includes information from employers located within the city limits of Boulder. These figures do not include self-employed individuals unless they report employment and wages to the CDLE.

Key Figures for 2025

• 6,220 creative jobs in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Boundary
• A location quotient of 2.9 for creative jobs in Boulder (i.e., a 2.9 times higher concentration of creative jobs when compared to the U.S.)
• $296.7 million in total earnings in Boulder creative industries
• $36.7 million in Boulder arts nonprofit revenue in 2024, across 47 nonprofit organizations

The statistics represent a breadth of creative organizations in Boulder, which creates employment and earnings opportunities for Boulder residents.

Employment Trends

It is important to note that this analysis uses the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Boundary (BVCP), and not the City of Boulder.

Boulder featured employment across many creative categories in 2025. Employment in the BVCP boundary totaled 6,220, which had a location quotient of 2.9—indicating a concentration of creative industries employment nearly three times greater than the nation. Location quotients are calculated by comparing the ratio of a specific category of employment to all employment in Boulder to the entire United States. Therefore, the United States has a location quotient of 1.0. If a specific category in Boulder has a location quotient higher than 1.0, it indicates a higher concentration.

Across the nine categories assessed in this study indicating creative jobs, six of them had a higher concentration than 1. The highest was Performance Arts, at a location quotient of 7.7. This was followed by Architecture (3.8), and Other (2.7). The lowest location quotient was 0.6 for Photography and Printing. The largest category of creative employment was Performance Arts, with 2,185 employees.

Earnings and Wages

Creative industries in the City of Boulder generated $296.7 million in total earnings during 2025. This earnings number represents money earned by employees of creative arts organizations in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan boundary. Marketing and Advertising had the highest annual average wage ($105,913), followed by Radio, Music, and Media Networks ($97,208).

Nonprofit Impact

In 2024, nonprofit organizations categorized as arts generated $36.7 million in revenue. The largest category generating revenue was Music, which generated $7 million in revenue in 2024. This was followed by Radio, at $6.2 million, and Visual Arts Organizations, at $5.5 million.

Methodology

Nonprofits
The nonprofit data comes from IRS filings of Form 990, which is the tax form nonprofits are required to file with the IRS. The dataset is publicly available on the IRS website. Data was sorted for nonprofit organizations located in Boulder with an arts category tag.

Employment and Earnings
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ QCEW survey was utilized for employment and earnings data. The BLS groups employment by various NAICS code, which break down employment by industry. The NAICS codes used for this study were based on a previous study completed by the Creative Vitality Suite, with some minor adjustments. The categories that each of the NAICS codes fall into were selected at the discretion of the Business Research Division.

Conducted by:
BUSINESS RESEARCH DIVISION
Leeds School of Business
University of Colorado Boulder
420 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0420
Colorado.edu/business/brd
July 2026

Overview

Boulder’s creative economy in 2024 remained robust and deeply integrated into the city’s broader economic landscape. Boulder continues to outperform national averages across creative industry indicators, underscoring its position as a cultural hub and the creative sector’s role as a key driver of innovation and quality of life. This report analyzes creative employment within the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) boundary, which covers the city and nearby areas. It uses NAICS (North American Industry Classification System (NAIUCS based W-2 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. The nonprofit data comes from IRS filings of Form 990.

Key Figures for 2024

• 6,611 creative industry jobs
• Location quotient of 3.0 — indicating a concentration of creative employment three times the U.S. average
• $303.5 million in total creative industry earnings
• $27.8 million in nonprofit arts revenues across 33 organizations

These data confirm that the arts and creative sectors continue to be vital economic and social contributors to Boulder’s community identity.

Employment Trends

Creative employment in Boulder remained concentrated in a few dominant categories:

• Performance Arts led employment with 2,387 jobs and a location quotient of 8.4, meaning this field is over eight times more concentrated than the national average.
• Architecture (763 jobs, LQ 3.9) and Writing, Publishing, and Journalism (1,060 jobs, LQ 2.5) are particularly concentrated in Boulder, employing far more people per capita than the national average.
• Artisan Manufacturing and Film & Television concentration levels (LQ = 1.0) aligned with national averages.

From 2022 to 2024, total creative employment declined from 7,132 to 6,611 jobs: a 7% decrease. The largest contraction occurred in Marketing and Advertising and Radio/Music/Media, suggesting some post-pandemic restructuring within the creative services sector.

Earnings and Wages

Creative workers in Boulder earned a total of $303.5 million in 2024, with notable disparities across subfields:

• Writing, Publishing, and Journalism yielded the highest average wage ($86,490) and the greatest total earnings ($81.1M).
• Marketing and Advertising and Architecture followed closely with average wages of $76,007 and $69,851, respectively.
• Performance Arts, while the largest employer, had an average wage of only $10,465, highlighting the sector’s continued income precarity.
• The average wage across all creative categories was $43,032.

Nonprofit Impact

Nonprofit arts organizations generated $27.8 million in total revenue in 2024, underscoring their essential role in Boulder’s creative fabric.

Top-earning nonprofit categories:

• Visual Arts Organizations – $5.7M
• Music – $3.5M
• Arts Education – $2.8M
• Arts Service Organizations – $2.6M

Boulder hosted at least seven nonprofit categories with five or more organizations, with the most numerous being Arts & Cultural Organizations – Multipurpose, followed by Music, Visual Arts, and Theatre groups.

Methodology

The report’s findings derive primarily from:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) for employment and earnings data, organized using NAICS codes aligned with Creative Vitality Suite categories.
• IRS Form 990 filings for nonprofit financial data.
  The nine creative categories analyzed include Performance Arts, Writing/Publishing, Architecture, Marketing & Advertising, Radio/Music/Media, Film & Television, Artisan Manufacturing, Photography/Printing, and Other Creative Industries.

Creative Industry Categories and Professions Included

The dataset covers a wide array of creative occupations, grouped into the following categories based on NAICS industry codes:

• Performance Arts – theater companies, dance companies, musical groups and artists, independent performers, performing arts promoters (with and without facilities), and artist management.
• Writing, Publishing, and Journalism – newspaper, periodical, and book publishers; greeting card and directory publishers; printing and bookbinding; libraries and archives; and booksellers.
• Architecture and Design – architectural, landscape architecture, drafting, interior design, and industrial design services.
• Marketing and Advertising – advertising agencies, public relations firms, media buying, direct mail, and display advertising services.
• Radio, Music, and Media Networks – radio and music publishers, recording studios, record production, sound recording, and streaming or digital content networks.
• Film and Television – motion picture and video production, post-production, distribution, and television broadcasting.
• Artisan Manufacturing – glass, metal, wood, pottery, and jewelry makers; custom furniture, ceramics, and craftspeople; and related retailers.
• Photography and Printing – portrait and commercial photography, printing services, and photo finishing.
• Other Creative Industries – museums, galleries, historical sites, florists, art dealers, graphic design services, and independent artists.

Together, these professions represent the portion of Boulder’s creative workforce captured through NAICS classifications based on W-2 employment data—from artists and performers to architects, designers, and creative service professionals.

Key Takeaways

• Boulder maintains a creative employment concentration three times the national average, reinforcing its identity as a national leader in arts-based economic vitality.
• The Performance Arts sector dominates employment but faces low wage levels, suggesting both cultural richness and financial vulnerability.
• Higher-wage creative fields such as publishing, marketing, and architecture contribute significantly to total earnings.
• The nonprofit creative sector remains a cornerstone of Boulder’s cultural life, with strong representation across visual arts, music, and education.

Conducted by:
BUSINESS RESEARCH DIVISION
Leeds School of Business
University of Colorado Boulder
420 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0420
Colorado.edu/business/brd
September 2025