Best all-round cities for remote workers in the Mountain West

Key facts
- #1 Denver, CO: 85 / 100
- #2 Salt Lake City, UT: 66 / 100
- #3 Englewood, CO: 60 / 100
- 11 cities ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Denver CO85 / 100
- 2Salt Lake City UT66 / 100
- 3Englewood CO60 / 100
- 4Las Vegas NV59 / 100
- 5Boulder CO57 / 100
- 6Boise ID52 / 100
- 7Reno NV41 / 100
- 8Westminster CO38 / 100
- 9Colorado Springs CO36 / 100
- 10Broomfield CO29 / 100
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Denver (85 / 100) is well clear of Broomfield at #10 (29 / 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
Remote work is attached to a city by the employer's base. This list weighs how many openings are remote, how many there are and what the pay is worth locally, to show which cities hire remotely in volume.
How to use it
If you want a remote role, the top cities show where the employers are. You can live elsewhere and still apply to them as a remote candidate.
The top 25
- 1
Denver CO
85 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 7%
- Pay after cost of living
- $133k
- Remote openings
- 209
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 2,996 openings.
- 2
Salt Lake City UT
66 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 4%
- Pay after cost of living
- $137k
- Remote openings
- 39
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 1,102 openings.
- 3
Englewood CO
60 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 6%
- Pay after cost of living
- $118k
- Remote openings
- 16
Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin
Based on 266 openings.
- 4
Las Vegas NV
59 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 5%
- Pay after cost of living
- $115k
- Remote openings
- 51
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 980 openings.
- 5
Boulder CO
57 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 3%
- Pay after cost of living
- $144k
- Remote openings
- 14
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing
Based on 454 openings.
- 6
Boise ID
52 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 4%
- Pay after cost of living
- $131k
- Remote openings
- 15
Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Based on 391 openings.
- 7
Reno NV
41 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 3%
- Pay after cost of living
- $132k
- Remote openings
- 10
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 311 openings.
- 8
Westminster CO
38 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 2%
- Pay after cost of living
- $143k
- Remote openings
- 6
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 264 openings.
- 9
Colorado Springs CO
36 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 3%
- Pay after cost of living
- $116k
- Remote openings
- 18
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting
Based on 712 openings.
- 10
Broomfield CO
29 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 1%
- Pay after cost of living
- $144k
- Remote openings
- 4
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures
Based on 294 openings.
- 11
Aurora CO
28 / 100
- Remote share of openings
- 1%
- Pay after cost of living
- $139k
- Remote openings
- 5
Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX
Based on 347 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 | Salt Lake City UT | 66 / 100 | 1,102 |
| 3 | Englewood CO | 60 / 100 | 266 |
| 4 | Las Vegas NV | 59 / 100 | 980 |
| 5 | Boulder CO | 57 / 100 | 454 |
| 6 | Boise ID | 52 / 100 | 391 |
| 7 | Reno NV | 41 / 100 | 311 |
| 8 | Westminster CO | 38 / 100 | 264 |
| 9 | Colorado Springs CO | 36 / 100 | 712 |
| 10 | Broomfield CO | 29 / 100 | 294 |
| 11 | Aurora CO | 28 / 100 | 347 |
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): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%.
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 remote workers in the mountain west?
- Denver is the best all-round city for remote workers 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): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%. 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 remote workers
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for remote workers in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers-in-the-mountain-west">Best all-round cities for remote workers in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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