BOULDER, Colorado
Population: 103,166
Unemployment: 3.8 percent
Top University: University of Colorado
Home to TechStars, a business incubator similar to Silicon Valley’s Y Combinator, Boulder has become one of the nation’s hotbeds of innovative startups. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, the city is home to the likes of the Geological Society of America and the Space Science Institute and nearly 59 percent of Boulder residents have attained at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest figure in the nation and twice the national average.