Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW)

Denver County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 64 counties in 2015, at 29,499. Crowley County had the lowest, at 52. The median was 528 and the figure for Colorado was 186,114. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest29,499Denver County
Median52864 counties
Colorado186,114History

Map of counties, 2015

Adams County: 10,000 countAlamosa County: 549 countArapahoe County: 20,735 countArchuleta County: 539 countBaca County: 114 countBent County: 90 countBoulder County: 14,252 countBroomfield County: 2,572 countChaffee County: 917 countCheyenne County: 93 countClear Creek County: 332 countConejos County: 146 countCostilla County: 84 countCrowley County: 52 countCuster County: 145 countDelta County: 885 countDenver County: 29,499 countDolores County: 72 countDouglas County: 11,030 countEagle County: 3,368 countElbert County: 647 countEl Paso County: 18,011 countFremont County: 901 countGarfield County: 2,559 countGilpin County: 157 countGrand County: 845 countGunnison County: 1,117 countHinsdale County: 77 countHuerfano County: 185 countJackson County: 90 countJefferson County: 18,976 countKiowa County: 57 countKit Carson County: 312 countLake County: 233 countLa Plata County: 2,503 countLarimer County: 11,188 countLas Animas County: 434 countLincoln County: 160 countLogan County: 660 countMesa County: 4,745 countMineral County: 72 countMoffat County: 452 countMontezuma County: 812 countMontrose County: 1,317 countMorgan County: 733 countOtero County: 496 countOuray County: 310 countPark County: 516 countPhillips County: 170 countPitkin County: 1,781 countProwers County: 395 countPueblo County: 3,119 countRio Blanco County: 269 countRio Grande County: 396 countRoutt County: 1,708 countSaguache County: 167 countSan Juan County: 74 countSan Miguel County: 657 countSedgwick County: 85 countSummit County: 2,199 countTeller County: 777 countWashington County: 147 countWeld County: 6,665 countYuma County: 416 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 900
  • 900 to 3,200
  • 3,200 and over
count, 2015. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2015

Denver County: 29,499 countDenver County29,499Arapahoe County: 20,735 countArapahoe County20,735Jefferson County: 18,976 countJefferson County18,976El Paso County: 18,011 countEl Paso County18,011Boulder County: 14,252 countBoulder County14,252Larimer County: 11,188 countLarimer County11,188Douglas County: 11,030 countDouglas County11,030Adams County: 10,000 countAdams County10,000Weld County: 6,665 countWeld County6,665Mesa County: 4,745 countMesa County4,745Eagle County: 3,368 countEagle County3,368Pueblo County: 3,119 countPueblo County3,119Broomfield County: 2,572 countBroomfield County2,572Garfield County: 2,559 countGarfield County2,559La Plata County: 2,503 countLa Plata County2,503Summit County: 2,199 countSummit County2,199Pitkin County: 1,781 countPitkin County1,781Routt County: 1,708 countRoutt County1,708Montrose County: 1,317 countMontrose County1,317Gunnison County: 1,117 countGunnison County1,117Chaffee County: 917 countChaffee County917Fremont County: 901 countFremont County901Delta County: 885 countDelta County885Grand County: 845 countGrand County845Montezuma County: 812 countMontezuma County812Teller County: 777 countTeller County777Morgan County: 733 countMorgan County733Logan County: 660 countLogan County660San Miguel County: 657 countSan Miguel County657Elbert County: 647 countElbert County647Alamosa County: 549 countAlamosa County549Archuleta County: 539 countArchuleta County539Park County: 516 countPark County516Otero County: 496 countOtero County496Moffat County: 452 countMoffat County452Las Animas County: 434 countLas Animas County434Yuma County: 416 countYuma County416Rio Grande County: 396 countRio Grande County396Prowers County: 395 countProwers County395Clear Creek County: 332 countClear Creek County332Denver County: 29,499 countDenver County29,499Arapahoe County: 20,735 countArapahoe County20,735Jefferson County: 18,976 countJefferson County18,976El Paso County: 18,011 countEl Paso County18,011Boulder County: 14,252 countBoulder County14,252Larimer County: 11,188 countLarimer County11,188Douglas County: 11,030 countDouglas County11,030Adams County: 10,000 countAdams County10,000Weld County: 6,665 countWeld County6,665Mesa County: 4,745 countMesa County4,745Eagle County: 3,368 countEagle County3,368Pueblo County: 3,119 countPueblo County3,119Broomfield County: 2,572 countBroomfield County2,572Garfield County: 2,559 countGarfield County2,559La Plata County: 2,503 countLa Plata County2,503Summit County: 2,199 countSummit County2,199Pitkin County: 1,781 countPitkin County1,781Routt County: 1,708 countRoutt County1,708Montrose County: 1,317 countMontrose County1,317Gunnison County: 1,117 countGunnison County1,117Chaffee County: 917 countChaffee County917Fremont County: 901 countFremont County901Delta County: 885 countDelta County885Grand County: 845 countGrand County845Montezuma County: 812 countMontezuma County812Teller County: 777 countTeller County777Morgan County: 733 countMorgan County733Logan County: 660 countLogan County660San Miguel County: 657 countSan Miguel County657Elbert County: 647 countElbert County647Alamosa County: 549 countAlamosa County549Archuleta County: 539 countArchuleta County539Park County: 516 countPark County516Otero County: 496 countOtero County496Moffat County: 452 countMoffat County452Las Animas County: 434 countLas Animas County434Yuma County: 416 countYuma County416Rio Grande County: 396 countRio Grande County396Prowers County: 395 countProwers County395Clear Creek County: 332 countClear Creek County332
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Denver County29,499+5.9%
2Arapahoe County20,735+5.5%
3Jefferson County18,976+4.5%
4El Paso County18,011+5%
5Boulder County14,252+4.7%
6Larimer County11,188+5.7%
7Douglas County11,030+7%
8Adams County10,000+6.8%
9Weld County6,665+7.3%
10Mesa County4,745+1.5%
11Eagle County3,368+4.5%
12Pueblo County3,119+1.5%
13Broomfield County2,572+8.2%
14Garfield County2,559+1.7%
15La Plata County2,503+2.5%
16Summit County2,199+2.7%
17Pitkin County1,781+2.2%
18Routt County1,708+1.4%
19Montrose County1,317+1%
20Gunnison County1,117+2.6%
21Chaffee County917+3.3%
22Fremont County901+3.2%
23Delta County885+0.9%
24Grand County845+2.9%
25Montezuma County812+1.8%
26Teller County777+3.5%
27Morgan County733+0.8%
28Logan County660+2.5%
29San Miguel County657+3.6%
30Elbert County647+6.6%
31Alamosa County549+2.4%
32Archuleta County539+5.7%
33Park County516+6%
34Otero County496-1.2%
35Moffat County452-1.7%
36Las Animas County434-0.2%
37Yuma County416+0.7%
38Rio Grande County396-2.9%
39Prowers County395+1.5%
40Clear Creek County332+3.8%
41Kit Carson County312+4.3%
42Ouray County310+3%
43Rio Blanco County269-1.1%
44Lake County233+0.9%
45Huerfano County185-2.1%
46Phillips County170+4.3%
47Saguache County167-1.2%
48Lincoln County160+1.3%
49Gilpin County157-0.6%
50Washington County147+2.1%
51Conejos County146+4.3%
52Custer County145-2.7%
53Baca County114+1.8%
54Cheyenne County93+3.3%
55Bent County90+1.1%
55Jackson County90-1.1%
57Sedgwick County85+1.2%
58Costilla County840%
59Hinsdale County77-4.9%
60San Juan County74+5.7%
61Dolores County72-1.4%
61Mineral County720%
63Kiowa County57+3.6%
64Crowley County52+2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_colorado_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"establishments_qcew","level":"province","within":"Colorado","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=establishments_qcew&level=province&within=Colorado&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Denver County, with 29,499 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Crowley County, with 52 in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Colorado: more rankings