Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Mountain West
Key facts
- #1 Denver, CO: 85 / 100
- #2 Boulder, CO: 82 / 100
- #3 Broomfield, CO: 80 / 100
- 11 cities ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Denver CO85 / 100
- 2Boulder CO82 / 100
- 3Broomfield CO80 / 100
- 4Salt Lake City UT67 / 100
- 5Aurora CO54 / 100
- 6Westminster CO48 / 100
- 7Englewood CO41 / 100
- 8Las Vegas NV35 / 100
- 9Colorado Springs CO29 / 100
- 10Reno NV18 / 100
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Denver (85 / 100) is well clear of Reno at #10 (18 / 100).
- Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,996 openings behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Careers that use AI cluster in a few places. This list weighs the share and number of openings that ask for AI skills and the pay they offer, to show where AI work is concentrated.
How to use it
If you are building AI skills, the top cities show where the employers and the roles are. The gap between your city and the top is a guide to what to add to your résumé.
The top 25
- 1
Denver CO
85 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 16%
- AI-skill openings
- 471
- Median posted pay
- $141k
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 2,996 openings.
- 2
Boulder CO
82 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 8%
- AI-skill openings
- 35
- Median posted pay
- $149k
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing
Based on 454 openings.
- 3
Broomfield CO
80 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 10%
- AI-skill openings
- 28
- Median posted pay
- $149k
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures
Based on 294 openings.
- 4
Salt Lake City UT
67 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 7%
- AI-skill openings
- 82
- Median posted pay
- $135k
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 1,102 openings.
- 5
Aurora CO
54 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 7%
- AI-skill openings
- 23
- Median posted pay
- $144k
Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX
Based on 347 openings.
- 6
Westminster CO
48 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 6%
- AI-skill openings
- 16
- Median posted pay
- $147k
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 264 openings.
- 7
Englewood CO
41 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 8%
- AI-skill openings
- 20
- Median posted pay
- $121k
Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin
Based on 266 openings.
- 8
Las Vegas NV
35 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 5%
- AI-skill openings
- 46
- Median posted pay
- $115k
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 980 openings.
- 9
Colorado Springs CO
29 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 5%
- AI-skill openings
- 33
- Median posted pay
- $120k
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting
Based on 712 openings.
- 10
Reno NV
18 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 4%
- AI-skill openings
- 12
- Median posted pay
- $132k
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 311 openings.
- 11
Boise ID
14 / 100
- AI-skill share of openings
- 4%
- AI-skill openings
- 15
- Median posted pay
- $125k
Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Based on 391 openings.
Full ranking
All 11 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver CO | 85 / 100 | 2,996 |
| 2 | Boulder CO | 82 / 100 | 454 |
| 3 | Broomfield CO | 80 / 100 | 294 |
| 4 | Salt Lake City UT | 67 / 100 | 1,102 |
| 5 | Aurora CO | 54 / 100 | 347 |
| 6 | Westminster CO | 48 / 100 | 264 |
| 7 | Englewood CO | 41 / 100 | 266 |
| 8 | Las Vegas NV | 35 / 100 | 980 |
| 9 | Colorado Springs CO | 29 / 100 | 712 |
| 10 | Reno NV | 18 / 100 | 311 |
| 11 | Boise ID | 14 / 100 | 391 |
How this ranking works
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%.
A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.
Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked.
A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for ai careers in the mountain west?
- Denver is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Mountain West, with a score of 85 / 100.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 11 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 11 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mountain West
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mountain West
- Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Mountain West
- Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the Mountain West
- Cities with the most hybrid jobs in the Mountain West
- Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the Mountain West
- Best all-round cities for AI careers
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-mountain-west">Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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