Salary comparison
Nursing Assistants: Boulder vs Mount Vernon
Boulder, CO pays about 1.7% more for nursing assistants on paper — $49,860 vs $49,020. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Boulder comes out ahead by $840 a year in real buying power.
Boulder, CO
$49,860
$46,120
$53,510
$23.97
100
$49,860/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Mount Vernon, WA
$49,020
$47,220
$52,270
$23.57
100
$49,020/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $840 a year (1.7%) in favor of Boulder. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Boulder runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Mount Vernon sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Boulder is the better deal by $840 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Mount Vernon to Boulder for this role, the raise needs to beat 1.7% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do nursing assistants earn more, Boulder or Mount Vernon?
Boulder pays $49,860 on median — about 1.7% more than Mount Vernon ($49,020). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Boulder. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Boulder gives you roughly$49,860 of real buying power versus $49,020 in the other city.