Population

Boulder

106,274

Chapel Hill

59,889

Median Income

Boulder

$85,364

Chapel Hill

$85,825

Home Value

Boulder

$982,600

Chapel Hill

$576,500

Rent

Boulder

$1,924

Chapel Hill

$1,483

Crime Rate

Boulder

3.22

Chapel Hill

1.72

Cost of Living

Boulder

191.3

Chapel Hill

160.6

Avg Temp

Boulder

N/A

Chapel Hill

N/A

Unemployment

Boulder

6.1%

Chapel Hill

4.6%

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How Similar Are Boulder & Chapel Hill?

Chapel Hill is Boulder's #22 most similar city

3/10

3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Boulder

106,274

vs

Chapel Hill

59,889

Different · 44% difference

Boulder has a 44% larger population than Chapel Hill.

Violent Crime

Boulder

3.22

vs

Chapel Hill

1.72

Different · 47% difference
🚨

Boulder has a 47% higher violent crime than Chapel Hill.

Property Crime

🔒

Boulder

27.33

vs

Chapel Hill

25.15

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 8% difference.

Political Leaning

Boulder

20.8%

vs

Chapel Hill

23.8%

Different · 13% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Chapel Hill has a stronger Democratic lean (13% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Boulder

6.1%

vs

Chapel Hill

4.6%

Different · 23% difference

Boulder has a 23% higher unemployment than Chapel Hill.

Median Income

Boulder

$85,364

vs

Chapel Hill

$85,825

Match · 1% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Boulder

$982,600

vs

Chapel Hill

$576,500

Different · 41% difference

Boulder has a 41% higher home values than Chapel Hill.

Education

Boulder

44.0%

vs

Chapel Hill

40.1%

Match · 9% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Boulder

81.8%

vs

Chapel Hill

66.7%

Different · 18% difference

Boulder has a 18% higher demographics than Chapel Hill.

Cost of Living

Boulder

191.3

vs

Chapel Hill

160.6

Different · 16% difference
💵

Boulder has a 16% higher cost of living than Chapel Hill.

3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boulder and Chapel Hill differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Boulder

vsof 8

0

Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Chapel Hill leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Chapel Hill scores 226.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 310.2 in Boulder. Chapel Hill has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,711 vs $2,124 in Boulder (24% lower). Chapel Hill has a living wage (1 adult) of $70,661 vs $84,186 in Boulder (19% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Boulder191.3
Chapel Hill160.6

Housing Index

Boulder310.2
Chapel Hill226.2

Food Index

Boulder115.2
Chapel Hill115.6

Transportation Index

Boulder130.5
Chapel Hill131.2

Healthcare Index

Boulder112.2
Chapel Hill112.5

Utilities Index

Boulder151.2
Chapel Hill134.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Boulder$84,186
Chapel Hill$70,661

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Boulder$198,985
Chapel Hill$167,017

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Boulder$1,795
Chapel Hill$1,507

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Boulder$2,124
Chapel Hill$1,711

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Boulder has a median home value of $982,600 vs $576,500 in Chapel Hill (70% higher). Boulder has a vacancy rate of 6.3% compared to 10.7% in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill has a median rent of $1,483 vs $1,924 in Boulder (30% lower).

Median Home Value

Boulder$982,600
Chapel Hill$576,500

Median Rent

Boulder$1,924
Chapel Hill$1,483

Median Property Tax

Boulder$5,023
Chapel Hill$7,034

Owner-Occupied

Boulder47.9%
Chapel Hill48.7%

Vacancy Rate

Boulder6.3%
Chapel Hill10.7%

Single-Family Homes

Boulder47.0%
Chapel Hill53.8%

Jobs & Economy — Boulder leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Boulder: 61,216 vs Chapel Hill: 30,024 for labor force. Chapel Hill has a unemployment rate of 4.6% compared to 6.1% in Boulder. Boulder has a per capita income of $59,450 vs $50,216 in Chapel Hill (18% higher).

Median Household Income

Boulder$85,364
Chapel Hill$85,825

Per Capita Income

Boulder$59,450
Chapel Hill$50,216

Poverty Rate

Boulder21.8%
Chapel Hill19.6%

Unemployment Rate

Boulder6.1%
Chapel Hill4.6%

Labor Force

Boulder61,216
Chapel Hill30,024

Mean Commute

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Work from Home

Boulder31.6%
Chapel Hill27.1%

Private Sector

Boulder89.4%
Chapel Hill78.8%

Government Sector

Boulder41.0%
Chapel Hill35.4%

Crime & Safety — Chapel Hill leads

Source: FBI UCR

Boulder has a violent crime clearance of 58.7% compared to 24.5% in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.13 compared to 2.42 in Boulder. Boulder has a property crime clearance of 15.2% compared to 7.2% in Chapel Hill.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Boulder3.22
Chapel Hill1.72

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Boulder27.33
Chapel Hill25.15

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Boulder0.00
Chapel Hill0.02

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Boulder0.45
Chapel Hill0.45

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Boulder2.42
Chapel Hill1.13

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Boulder3.83
Chapel Hill3.40

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Boulder21.42
Chapel Hill19.89

Violent Crime Clearance

Boulder58.7%
Chapel Hill24.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Boulder15.2%
Chapel Hill7.2%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Avg Annual High

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Avg Annual Low

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Sunny Days per Year

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Annual Rainfall

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Annual Snowfall

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Avg Humidity

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Schools & Education — Boulder leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Boulder has a bachelor's degree or higher of 44.0% compared to 40.1% in Chapel Hill. Boulder has a high school diploma or higher of 47.6% compared to 44.1% in Chapel Hill.

Public Schools

Boulder0
Chapel Hill0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Colleges & Universities

Boulder0
Chapel Hill0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Boulder44.0%
Chapel Hill40.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Boulder47.6%
Chapel Hill44.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Boulder has a population of 106,274, about 1.8x the size of Chapel Hill (59,889). Chapel Hill skews younger with a median age of 25.8 vs 28.8.

Population

Boulder106,274
Chapel Hill59,889

Median Age

Boulder29
Chapel Hill26

Avg Household Size

Boulder2.2
Chapel Hill2.4

Married Population

Boulder28.1%
Chapel Hill31.3%

Foreign Born

Boulder10.2%
Chapel Hill14.9%

White

Boulder81.8%
Chapel Hill66.7%

Black

Boulder1.1%
Chapel Hill10.9%

Hispanic

Boulder11.2%
Chapel Hill7.4%

Asian

Boulder5.8%
Chapel Hill13.2%

Boulder

Chapel Hill

Healthcare — Chapel Hill leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Chapel Hill: 4.5 vs Boulder: 4.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Boulder5
Chapel Hill5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Boulder4.3
Chapel Hill4.5

With Emergency Services

Boulder4
Chapel Hill4

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Boulder has a bicycle of 7.6% compared to 2.6% in Chapel Hill. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 27.1% in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill has a drive alone of 48.1% compared to 41.9% in Boulder.

Mean Commute Time

BoulderN/A
Chapel HillN/A

Drive Alone

Boulder41.9%
Chapel Hill48.1%

Public Transit

Boulder5.9%
Chapel Hill6.6%

Bicycle

Boulder7.6%
Chapel Hill2.6%

Work from Home

Boulder31.6%
Chapel Hill27.1%

Airports

Boulder0
Chapel Hill0

Cities Similar to Boulder, CO

Compare Boulder against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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