The local economy of Colorado and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data.
Unemployment rate
4.0%
August 2026, 3.9% a year ago
Average weekly pay
$1,774
Q1 2026, 2,848,514 jobs
New homes permitted
33,093
Last 12 months to August 2026
Net people moving in
+7,030
2022 to 2023
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for its history.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Colorado, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Colorado is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row.
The unemployment rate in Colorado was 4.0% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.9% a year earlier. 3,054,175 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,182,350. Among its counties, Yuma County had the lowest rate (2.7%) and Costilla County the highest (8.0%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Colorado was $1,774 in Q1 2026, up 5.4% from a year earlier, across 2,848,514 jobs at 264,727 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 1,900 new homes in Colorado in August 2026 (1,298 single-family and 578 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 21,232, down 1.7% from the same months last year, and 33,093 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Denver County (6,418), El Paso County (5,743), Weld County (3,484) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 191,500 people moved to Colorado and 184,470 moved away, a net gain of 7,030 (+1.5 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Texas, California, Florida, and most people who left went to Texas, California, Florida.
Regular gasoline in Colorado averaged $4.09 per gallon in the week of September 28, 2026.