Boulder migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 18,856 people moved into the Boulder metro and 20,236 moved out, a net of −1,380. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Denver, CO leads both directions, with 5,374 people in and 6,140 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 73–74% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −2,100 in 2020–21 to −1,380 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
328,560
▼ 0.3% year over year · shrinking
Peak population · 2020
330,982
0.7% below the 2020 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: domestic outflow led the population decline in 2025: −2,248, against births minus deaths (+244) and international migration (+1,064).
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 330,982 in 2020. The 2025 estimate of 328,560 is 0.7% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
+$53M
▲ $1.3B arrived · $1.2B left
Avg household income · movers
$98k in · $88k out
arrivals out-earn leavers by 11%
Boulder wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Boulder metro in 2022–23 reported $1.3B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $1.2B with them, a net gain of $53M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $98k of income, vs $88k for leavers. Arrivals out-earn leavers by 11%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 73% of inbound and 74% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
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