SOC 53-7081 · Transportation and Material Moving Occupations · May 2025

How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Boulder, CO?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Boulder, CO is $66,610. The 10th percentile is $37,530 and the 90th percentile is $71,380. Employment is 110.

Median annual wage

$66,610

10th percentile
$37,530
25th percentile
$47,910
Median
$66,610
75th percentile
$67,460
90th percentile
$71,380
Mean
$60,170

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Warehouse workers driving forklifts loaded with goods
Forklift operators in a Miami warehouse, 2011. Photograph by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, the published 10th percentile is $37,530 and the 90th percentile is $71,380. The difference is $33,850, which is 50.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $47,910 to the 75th at $67,460, covers $19,550.

The mean annual wage is $60,170, which sits below the median of $66,610. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Boulder, CO median is 34.1% higher than the national median of $49,690 for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. In 2024 national prices the local median is $63,316, which is 27.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 10.4% higher than the Colorado median of $60,310.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Boulder, CO is 105.202, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $66,610 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors at $63,316 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

6 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Boulder, CO ranks 1st of 7 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is 39 miles away, with a median of $56,020 and employment of 120. That median is 15.9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $55,395, against $63,316 here.
  • Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is 53 miles away, with a median of $61,190 and employment of 1,970. That median is 8.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $57,845, against $63,316 here.
  • Greeley, CO is 62 miles away, with a median of $56,160 and employment of 250. That median is 15.7% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $56,061, against $63,316 here.

Employment share

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors accounts for 0.06% of wage-and-salary employment in Boulder, CO (110 of 192,390). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (147,240 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.60 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Boulder, CO · Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Boulder, CO?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Boulder, CO is $66,610. The 10th percentile is $37,530 and the 90th percentile is $71,380. Employment is 110.

How does that compare with the national median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors?

The local median is 34.1% higher than the national median of $49,690.

What is Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors pay in Boulder, CO after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Boulder, CO is 105.202, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $66,610 is $63,316. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Boulder, CO compare with nearby metros for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors?

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $56,020. Boulder, CO ranks 1st of 7 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.