Most of Golden is in Jefferson County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $63.38 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 4 ZIP codes in Golden with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,730 to $1,980 a month. At the middle rent, $1,750, a full-time job would need to pay $59.18 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80401 | Jefferson County | $1,770/mo | $59.94/hr |
| 80402 | Jefferson County | $1,730/mo | $58.41/hr |
| 80403 | Jefferson County | $1,980/mo | $68.10/hr |
| 80419 | Jefferson County | $1,730/mo | $58.41/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Golden needs to pay at least $63.38 an hour before taxes, about $131,825 a year. That is the figure for Jefferson County, where the typical studio rent is $1,860 a month.
Yes. Across the 4 ZIP codes in Golden with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,730 to $1,980 a month. At the middle rent of $1,750, the pay needed would be $59.18 an hour.
The minimum wage in Jefferson County is $15.16 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.2 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads