Skip to content
Elevation

Elevation of Boulder

5,319ft

above sea level · 1,621 m

Boulder is a city in Colorado with 105,689 people, the 12th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 5th highest.

By the All Map Tools Team

Elevation profile

Loading the map…

Place facts

Coordinates
40.01° N · 105.27° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 40° 0′ 54″ N · 105° 16′ 14″ W
UTM coordinates
13T · 476,911 E · 4,429,456 N
Zone 13 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
Boulder County
Where the city’s reference point falls
State
Colorado
CO · capital: Denver
Time zone
Mountain Time
UTC−7 · UTC−6 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
105,689 people
26.9 sq mi of land · 3,925 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from February 2021: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Boulder had 105,689 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 2.6% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 108,536. Its 26.9 sq mi of land work out to 3,925 people/sq mi; the state average is 58 people/sq mi.

It’s the 12th most populous of the 482 places the Census counts in Colorado (cities, towns and CDPs), after Denver (740,613), and holds 1.8% of the state’s population.

It lies entirely within Boulder County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.2 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.

Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Boulder sits at 5,319 ft (1,621 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Boulder is 4,457 ft above it.

The state capital, Denver, is 24 mi away in a straight line and 43 ft lower than Boulder.

Of the 12 cities in Colorado with a page, Boulder is the 6th lowest: the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is Greeley (4,674 ft).

The highest point in Colorado is Mount Elbert, at 14,433 ft according to the USGS: 9,114 ft above Boulder, 88 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 3 Arvada 5,349 ft
  2. 4 Thornton 5,347 ft
  3. 5 Boulder 5,319 ft
  4. 6 Rio Rancho 5,277 ft
  5. 7 Fort Collins 5,004 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Boulder and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Boulder with any other point on the map. Map of Boulder County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Boulder and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of Colorado counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Boulder.

What is the elevation of Boulder?

Boulder is 5,319 feet (1,621 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Boulder?

Latitude 40.01499 and longitude -105.27055, in decimal degrees (40° 0′ 54″ N · 105° 16′ 14″ W). In UTM, zone 13: 476,911 E and 4,429,456 N, on NAD83.

How does Boulder rank among the highest US cities of its size?

It’s the 5th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

What county is Boulder in?

Boulder County, Colorado.

Which is higher, Boulder or Denver?

Boulder. Boulder sits at 5,319 ft and Denver at 5,276 ft: a difference of 43 ft, 24 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know