Population
Boulder
106,274
Sparks
109,106
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
Sparks
$86,979
Home Value
Boulder
$982,600
Sparks
$455,900
Rent
Boulder
$1,924
Sparks
$1,651
Crime Rate
Boulder
3.22
Sparks
3.95
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
Sparks
144.8
Avg Temp
Boulder
N/A
Sparks
N/A
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
Sparks
5.7%
How Similar Are Boulder & Sparks?
Sparks is Boulder's #25 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boulder
106,274
Sparks
109,106
Both cities have similar populations — Boulder at 106,274 and Sparks at 109,106.
Violent Crime
Boulder
3.22
Sparks
3.95
Sparks has a 18% higher violent crime than Boulder.
Property Crime
Boulder
27.33
Sparks
25.84
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Boulder
20.8%
Sparks
48.3%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Sparks has a stronger Democratic lean (57% difference).
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
Sparks
5.7%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
Sparks
$86,979
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Boulder
$982,600
Sparks
$455,900
Boulder's home values is significantly higher than Sparks's — 54% difference.
Education
Boulder
44.0%
Sparks
17.9%
Boulder's education is significantly higher than Sparks's — 59% difference.
Demographics
Boulder
81.8%
Sparks
62.0%
Boulder has a 24% higher demographics than Sparks.
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
Sparks
144.8
Boulder has a 24% higher cost of living than Sparks.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boulder and Sparks share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Boulder
0
Sparks
Boulder leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Sparks leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSparks scores 190.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 310.2 in Boulder. Sparks has a living wage (1 adult) of $63,701 vs $84,186 in Boulder (32% lower). Sparks has a living wage (family of 4) of $150,566 vs $198,985 in Boulder (32% lower).
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 — Sparks leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSparks has a median property tax of $2,193 vs $5,023 in Boulder (129% lower). Boulder has a median home value of $982,600 vs $455,900 in Sparks (116% higher). Sparks has a single-family homes of 67.8% compared to 47.0% in Boulder.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Sparks leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 9.5% in Sparks. Sparks has a poverty rate of 9.0% compared to 21.8% in Boulder. Boulder has a per capita income of $59,450 vs $40,192 in Sparks (48% 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 murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.05 in Sparks. Boulder has a violent crime clearance of 58.7% compared to 39.3% in Sparks. Sparks has a property crime clearance of 25.3% compared to 15.2% in Boulder.
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 17.9% in Sparks. Boulder has a high school diploma or higher of 47.6% compared to 35.3% in Sparks.
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 ACSSparks has a population of 109,106, about 1x the size of Boulder (106,274). Boulder skews younger with a median age of 28.8 vs 36.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boulder
Sparks
Healthcare — Boulder leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBoulder: 4.3 vs Sparks: 3.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a bicycle of 7.6% compared to 0.1% in Sparks. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 9.5% in Sparks. Boulder has a public transit of 5.9% compared to 2.0% in Sparks.
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.