The local economy of Colorado and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.0%
+0.1 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Yuma County 2.7%, highest Costilla County 8.0%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,774
+5.4%vs a year ago
2,848,514 jobs at 264,727 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
33,093
-1.7%this year vs last year
Most in Denver County 6,418, El Paso County 5,743.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+7,030
+1.5 per 1,000residents
191,500 moved in and 184,470 moved out. Most newcomers came from Texas.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Colorado gas price
$4.24
+$1.28vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Bent County $4.07, highest Pitkin County $5.76. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Colorado, October 10, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
182K
+0.3%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.57M
+3.4%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (13.7%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$181.4B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$70,681
Highest sector: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction $145,846.
Per employee per year
Share of Colorado's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 231,199 | $27,988 |
| Employment Services | 92,123 | $66,523 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 87,946 | $82,936 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 68,640 | $117,063 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 55,523 | $120,866 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 54,377 | $113,047 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 49,486 | $72,000 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 48,532 | $41,927 |
| Grocery Stores | 47,027 | $38,641 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 44,356 | $43,909 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | 43,595 | $29,051 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 43,303 | $33,767 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $116,500 a year in 5,531 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Colorado, up 6.9% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$116,500
+6.9%vs 2024
Middle half: $92,500 to $140,166.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
5,531
+6.0%vs 2024
8,106 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$132,824
Software Developers, 1,488 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$83,720
-11.0%vs 2024
1,418 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in Colorado, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 1,488 | $132,824 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 561 | $123,300 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 329 | $113,922 |
| Data Scientists | 256 | $100,521 |
| Computer Programmers | 141 | $95,472 |
| Computer Network Architects | 137 | $115,586 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 127 | $106,000 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 123 | $91,000 |
| Civil Engineers | 112 | $92,579 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 108 | $66,206 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Charter Communications, Inc. CHTR | 303 | 4 |
| Dish Wireless LLC | 178 | 4 |
| Dish Network LLC | 146 | 4 |
| Denver Public Schools District 1 | 146 | 1 |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 138 | 13 |
| University of Colorado Denver | 132 | 4 |
| University of Colorado | 103 | 3 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 92 | 17 |
| The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC | 89 | 5 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited TCS.NS | 70 | 10 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 1,403 | $112,174 | $84,774 to $142,574 |
| Greenwood Village | 539 | $117,021 | $100,170 to $136,815 |
| Englewood | 508 | $117,021 | $97,157 to $131,466 |
| Boulder | 391 | $122,800 | $93,125 to $152,100 |
| Aurora | 243 | $93,200 | $67,382 to $130,568 |
| Littleton | 241 | $102,274 | $94,578 to $117,021 |
| Parker | 226 | $127,941 | $109,250 to $154,572 |
| Fort Collins | 212 | $105,000 | $81,245 to $137,938 |
| Highlands Ranch | 196 | $129,065 | $116,314 to $145,249 |
| Lone Tree | 164 | $118,147 | $102,274 to $146,700 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of Colorado added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
Colorado has had 112 declared disasters and emergencies since 1955, 90 of them since 2000, most often Fire. Flood insurance has paid $91.7 million on 5,802 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 2013 ($72.6 million).
Declared disasters
90
13 major disasters. Most often Fire (86 since 1955).
Since 2000, all types; 112 since 1955
Flood claims paid
$4.13M
529 claims. Biggest year 2013 ($72.6M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
16,312
Average premium $906 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
23
Larimer County, latest Jul 31, 2024.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for Colorado, 1955 to today
Claims paid in Colorado by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1955
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 53.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boulder County | 1,784 | $50.1M | 5,073 |
| 2 | Larimer County | 547 | $15.1M | 1,289 |
| 3 | El Paso County | 857 | $6.00M | 2,335 |
| 4 | Weld County | 194 | $5.66M | 534 |
| 5 | Jefferson County | 491 | $3.06M | 1,677 |
| 6 | Otero County | 139 | $1.76M | 78 |
| 7 | La Plata County | 67 | $1.26M | 710 |
| 8 | Arapahoe County | 207 | $1.04M | 819 |
| 9 | Logan County | 74 | $847K | 251 |
| 10 | Denver County | 243 | $719K | 1,210 |
| 11 | Douglas County | 70 | $661K | 364 |
| 12 | Adams County | 154 | $594K | 449 |
| 13 | Morgan County | 42 | $433K | 130 |
| 14 | Routt County | 36 | $415K | 339 |
| 15 | Fremont County | 72 | $344K | 316 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in Colorado, from official public data.
Official public data lists 20,749 facilities in Colorado with records since 2010, 20,437 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Dcp Operating CO - Lucerne 2 Gas Plant in Greeley Area ($3,965,281). 405 large facilities reported 62.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 4.0% from 2022.
Facilities with records
20,749
20,437 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$3.97M
Dcp Operating CO - Lucerne 2 Gas Plant, Greeley Area.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
62.5M t
-4.0%vs 2022
405 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
6.99M t
Comanche (470), Pueblo.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Dcp Operating CO - Lucerne 2 Gas Plant Greeley Area | $3,965,281 | 6 |
| Fort Lupton / Platte Valley / Lancaster Complex Fort Lupton | $3,671,675 | 3 |
| Roggen Gas Plant Roggen | $3,393,500 | 1 |
| Cemex Construction Materials South LLC Lyons | $2,798,425 | 4 |
| Suncor Commerce City Refinery - East Plant Commerce City | $2,245,200 | 16 |
| Duke Energy Field Services - Platteville Platteville | $1,625,000 | 1 |
| Ignacio Processing Plant Durango | $1,437,125 | 0 |
| Holcim (US) INC - Portland Plant Florence | $1,303,720 | 5 |
| LP Ind LLC - Jordan Process Springfield Area | $1,012,875 | 0 |
| Enterprise Gas Proc - Meeker Gas Plant Meeker 21.1 Mi. W of | $1,010,500 | 1 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Comanche (470) Pueblo | 6,991,406 |
| Tri State Generation Craig Craig | 5,306,621 |
| Public Service Company of Colorado Pawnee Station Brush | 3,099,895 |
| Hayden Hayden | 2,668,816 |
| Antero Midstream LLC- 160A Basin Denver | 1,894,508 |
| Fort St. Vrain Platteville | 1,673,244 |
| Cherokee Denver | 1,514,357 |
| DCP Midstream 430 Permian Basin Denver | 1,473,995 |
| Rawhide Energy Station Wellington | 1,451,281 |
| DCP Midstream 360 Anadarko Basin Denver | 1,241,859 |
Large facilities in Colorado, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in Colorado, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips 66 PSX | 23 | $3.42M | 4.85M |
| Duke Energy Corporation DUK | 4 | $1.63M | - |
| Chevron Corporation CVX | 16 | $46K | 775K |
| Xcel Energy Inc. XEL | 15 | $36K | 17.8M |
| Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY | 28 | $21K | 215K |
| Republic Services, Inc. RSG | 8 | $7,000 | 170K |
| Waste Management, Inc. WM | 11 | $5,607 | 238K |
| United Parcel Service, Inc. UPS | 21 | $3,675 | - |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
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. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Colorado, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
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 $4.24 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.28 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.29. Among its counties, Bent County had the lowest regular price ($4.07) and Pitkin County the highest ($5.76). In the weekly survey, Colorado averaged $4.02 in the week of October 5, 2026.
Health Care and Social Assistance (352,483 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (304,455 employees), Retail Trade (292,486 employees) were the largest sectors in Colorado in 2023. In all, 182,486 business locations employed 2,566,040 people at an average pay of $70,681 a year.
$116,500 a year was the median pay offered in 5,531 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Colorado in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 6.9% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $92,500 to $140,166. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
Charter Communications, Inc. (303), Dish Wireless LLC (178), Dish Network LLC (146), Denver Public Schools District 1 (146), Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. (138) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in Colorado in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (1,488 filings, median $132,824), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (561 filings, median $123,300), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (329 filings, median $113,922) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in Colorado in fiscal year 2025.
$129,065 was the median offered pay in Highlands Ranch, the highest among the Colorado cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (196 filings).
$83,720 a year was the median pay offered in 1,418 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in Colorado in fiscal year 2025.
112 disasters and emergencies have been declared for Colorado since 1955, 90 of them since 2000 (13 major disasters). The most common type is Fire (86 declarations).
Larimer County, with 23 declarations since 2000, followed by Boulder County (17) and Pueblo County (15). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$91.7 million on 5,802 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 2013, with $72.6 million paid on 2,301 claims. Boulder County received the most ($50.1 million).
$906 a year in 2025, across 16,312 flood insurance policies in Colorado. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.