SalaryExplorer

SOC 21-1015 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Rehabilitation Counselors — Boulder

Boulder, CO · 5 metro areas compared

$58,770 /year
$28.26per hour
40jobs in area
+25.4%vs US median

The median wage for Rehabilitation Counselors in Boulder, CO is $58,770 per year, well above the national median of $46,850.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $46,85010TH$43,31025TH$47,980MEDIAN$58,77075TH$63,64090TH$81,240

How pay has moved

$61,545$44,895202020212022202320242025$58,770
$49,960 in 2020 to $58,770 in 2025, +17.6% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+1.4%
Openings per year
10,000
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Boulder, CO.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Rehabilitation Counselors in Boulder, CO is $58,770 per year, well above the national median of $46,850. The gap of 25.4% is among the widest recorded for this occupation. Half of workers earn between $47,980 and $63,640. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $43,310 and the ninetieth at $81,240.

The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.2 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Fort Collins records the highest median at $63,620. Of the 414 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 269th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Boulder, CO · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$43,310−7.6%
25th$47,980+2.4%
Median (50th)$58,770+25.4%
75th$63,640+35.8%
90th$81,240+73.4%
Mean$60,150+28.4%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Colorado

Median annual wage for Rehabilitation Counselors, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Fort Collins$63,62030
2Colorado Springs$55,370120
3Denver$47,840600
4Pueblo$47,34030
5Greeley$42,350—

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Boulder run 5.2% above the national average, so the median of $58,770 buys what $55,865 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 19.2% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$58,770as reported by BLS

Local price level

105.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$55,865US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $58,770 a year, 25.4% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $43,310 to $81,240 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Fort Collins, at $63,620.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Rehabilitation Counselors in Boulder, CO?

The median annual wage is $58,770, or $28.26 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $46,850, so pay in Boulder, CO is 25.4% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Boulder, CO earns more than $81,240 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $43,310 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Fort Collins, at $63,620 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Boulder, CO. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Rehabilitation Counselors in Boulder, CO Earn $58,770 — 25.4% Above the US Median (2025) | Salary Explorer