Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Parker's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Parker?
Your $100,000 in Parker has the same purchasing power as $83,822 in the average US city. You'd need $16,178 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Parker's cost index of 119, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to Parker? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: a high-income city, even by us standards and the labor market runs tight, plus 3 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Median household income in Parker is $126,615 — well above the US median of roughly $75k. It's a city where high-paying industries (tech, finance, professional services) cluster, and the income distribution tilts noticeably upward relative to most of the country.
The unemployment rate in Parker sits at roughly 3.2%, which is a tight labor market by US standards. Salaries get nudged up faster, openings are easier to find, and switching jobs is less of a leap than it is in a softer market.
Parker reports about 1,957 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
Parker's air quality index averages about 34 — comfortably in the EPA's "good" range. No daily ritual of checking the AQI before going for a run, no smoky-day plans, no surprise asthma flare-ups for the kids. The kind of background condition you notice mostly by its absence.
53% of adults 25 and over in Parker hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Parker's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Yes — and a lot of it. With winter averages near 19°F, Parker sees real accumulation most years. Salt for the steps, tires that handle ice, and a sense of humor about February are the usual costs of admission.
Cold enough to plan around. Winter in Parker averages roughly 19°F, with stretches where daytime highs don't break freezing for weeks. Decent insulation, a real coat, and a car that starts in cold weather are non-negotiable.
Hot, but not desert-hot. Summer in Parker runs about 87°F on average, with afternoons in the 90s and humidity that varies by region. AC is standard rather than optional.
Parker falls in roughly USDA Zone 7. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
Parker sits at about 5,846 feet (1,782 m) above sea level. That's high enough that new arrivals from sea level should expect a real adjustment period: shorter breath, more water than usual, longer cooking times, and meaningful sun protection thanks to the thinner atmosphere.
By the numbers, yes. Parker reports roughly 1,957 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Yes, noticeably. Parker's cost-of-living index runs 119, about 19% above the US baseline. Housing usually accounts for most of the markup; groceries and services run higher too but with less drama.
Not really — Parker is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 7 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $83,510 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Parker runs about $1,885/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.