Population
Boulder
106,274
San Luis Obispo
48,039
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
Home Value
Boulder
$982,600
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
Rent
Boulder
$1,924
San Luis Obispo
$1,906
Crime Rate
Boulder
3.22
San Luis Obispo
4.24
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
San Luis Obispo
174.0
Avg Temp
Boulder
N/A
San Luis Obispo
N/A
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
How Similar Are Boulder & San Luis Obispo?
San Luis Obispo is Boulder's #3 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boulder
106,274
San Luis Obispo
48,039
Boulder (106,274) is about 2.2x larger than San Luis Obispo (48,039).
Violent Crime
Boulder
3.22
San Luis Obispo
4.24
San Luis Obispo has a 24% higher violent crime than Boulder.
Property Crime
Boulder
27.33
San Luis Obispo
26.69
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
Boulder
20.8%
San Luis Obispo
43.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but San Luis Obispo has a stronger Democratic lean (52% difference).
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
Boulder has a 22% higher median income than San Luis Obispo.
Home Values
Boulder
$982,600
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Boulder
44.0%
San Luis Obispo
28.4%
Boulder has a 35% higher education than San Luis Obispo.
Demographics
Boulder
81.8%
San Luis Obispo
75.9%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
San Luis Obispo
174.0
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boulder and San Luis Obispo share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Boulder
0
San Luis Obispo
Boulder leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — San Luis Obispo leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSan Luis Obispo scores 102.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 130.5 in Boulder. Boulder has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,124 vs $2,512 in San Luis Obispo (15% lower). San Luis Obispo scores 101.0 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 115.2 in Boulder.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a vacancy rate of 6.3% compared to 8.2% in San Luis Obispo. Boulder has a owner-occupied of 47.9% compared to 39.0% in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo has a single-family homes of 53.5% compared to 47.0% in Boulder.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder: 61,216 vs San Luis Obispo: 27,661 for labor force. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 15.9% in San Luis Obispo. Boulder has a per capita income of $59,450 vs $45,462 in San Luis Obispo (31% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Boulder leads
Source: FBI UCRBoulder has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.45 compared to 0.82 in San Luis Obispo. Boulder has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.22 compared to 4.24 in San Luis Obispo. Boulder has a violent crime clearance of 58.7% compared to 49.1% in San Luis Obispo.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Boulder leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBoulder has a bachelor's degree or higher of 44.0% compared to 28.4% in San Luis Obispo. Boulder has a high school diploma or higher of 47.6% compared to 35.0% in San Luis Obispo.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a population of 106,274, about 2.2x the size of San Luis Obispo (48,039). San Luis Obispo skews younger with a median age of 26.2 vs 28.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boulder
San Luis Obispo
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBoulder: 4.3 vs San Luis Obispo: 2.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5). San Luis Obispo: 5 vs Boulder: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a public transit of 5.9% compared to 1.4% in San Luis Obispo. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 15.9% in San Luis Obispo. Boulder has a bicycle of 7.6% compared to 4.5% in San Luis Obispo.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.