Counties in Colorado by business establishments (QCEW)

Denver County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 64 counties in 2019, at 34,678. Kiowa County had the lowest, at 50. The median was 598 and the figure for Colorado was 210,965. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest34,678Denver County
Lowest50Kiowa County
Median59864 counties
Colorado210,965History

Map of counties, 2019

Adams County: 11,630 countAlamosa County: 612 countArapahoe County: 22,853 countArchuleta County: 600 countBaca County: 115 countBent County: 99 countBoulder County: 16,024 countBroomfield County: 2,933 countChaffee County: 1,066 countCheyenne County: 92 countClear Creek County: 380 countConejos County: 181 countCostilla County: 104 countCrowley County: 63 countCuster County: 155 countDelta County: 928 countDenver County: 34,678 countDolores County: 86 countDouglas County: 12,745 countEagle County: 3,563 countElbert County: 705 countEl Paso County: 20,814 countFremont County: 946 countGarfield County: 2,714 countGilpin County: 181 countGrand County: 883 countGunnison County: 1,226 countHinsdale County: 82 countHuerfano County: 179 countJackson County: 89 countJefferson County: 20,936 countKiowa County: 50 countKit Carson County: 297 countLake County: 245 countLa Plata County: 2,686 countLarimer County: 12,767 countLas Animas County: 596 countLincoln County: 164 countLogan County: 648 countMesa County: 5,092 countMineral County: 74 countMoffat County: 454 countMontezuma County: 940 countMontrose County: 1,431 countMorgan County: 827 countOtero County: 513 countOuray County: 343 countPark County: 568 countPhillips County: 171 countPitkin County: 1,868 countProwers County: 393 countPueblo County: 3,546 countRio Blanco County: 262 countRio Grande County: 438 countRoutt County: 1,860 countSaguache County: 207 countSan Juan County: 82 countSan Miguel County: 708 countSedgwick County: 91 countSummit County: 2,368 countTeller County: 937 countWashington County: 148 countWeld County: 7,859 countYuma County: 427 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 3,600
  • 3,600 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Denver County: 34,678 countDenver County34,678Arapahoe County: 22,853 countArapahoe County22,853Jefferson County: 20,936 countJefferson County20,936El Paso County: 20,814 countEl Paso County20,814Boulder County: 16,024 countBoulder County16,024Larimer County: 12,767 countLarimer County12,767Douglas County: 12,745 countDouglas County12,745Adams County: 11,630 countAdams County11,630Weld County: 7,859 countWeld County7,859Mesa County: 5,092 countMesa County5,092Eagle County: 3,563 countEagle County3,563Pueblo County: 3,546 countPueblo County3,546Broomfield County: 2,933 countBroomfield County2,933Garfield County: 2,714 countGarfield County2,714La Plata County: 2,686 countLa Plata County2,686Summit County: 2,368 countSummit County2,368Pitkin County: 1,868 countPitkin County1,868Routt County: 1,860 countRoutt County1,860Montrose County: 1,431 countMontrose County1,431Gunnison County: 1,226 countGunnison County1,226Chaffee County: 1,066 countChaffee County1,066Fremont County: 946 countFremont County946Montezuma County: 940 countMontezuma County940Teller County: 937 countTeller County937Delta County: 928 countDelta County928Grand County: 883 countGrand County883Morgan County: 827 countMorgan County827San Miguel County: 708 countSan Miguel County708Elbert County: 705 countElbert County705Logan County: 648 countLogan County648Alamosa County: 612 countAlamosa County612Archuleta County: 600 countArchuleta County600Las Animas County: 596 countLas Animas County596Park County: 568 countPark County568Otero County: 513 countOtero County513Moffat County: 454 countMoffat County454Rio Grande County: 438 countRio Grande County438Yuma County: 427 countYuma County427Prowers County: 393 countProwers County393Clear Creek County: 380 countClear Creek County380Denver County: 34,678 countDenver County34,678Arapahoe County: 22,853 countArapahoe County22,853Jefferson County: 20,936 countJefferson County20,936El Paso County: 20,814 countEl Paso County20,814Boulder County: 16,024 countBoulder County16,024Larimer County: 12,767 countLarimer County12,767Douglas County: 12,745 countDouglas County12,745Adams County: 11,630 countAdams County11,630Weld County: 7,859 countWeld County7,859Mesa County: 5,092 countMesa County5,092Eagle County: 3,563 countEagle County3,563Pueblo County: 3,546 countPueblo County3,546Broomfield County: 2,933 countBroomfield County2,933Garfield County: 2,714 countGarfield County2,714La Plata County: 2,686 countLa Plata County2,686Summit County: 2,368 countSummit County2,368Pitkin County: 1,868 countPitkin County1,868Routt County: 1,860 countRoutt County1,860Montrose County: 1,431 countMontrose County1,431Gunnison County: 1,226 countGunnison County1,226Chaffee County: 1,066 countChaffee County1,066Fremont County: 946 countFremont County946Montezuma County: 940 countMontezuma County940Teller County: 937 countTeller County937Delta County: 928 countDelta County928Grand County: 883 countGrand County883Morgan County: 827 countMorgan County827San Miguel County: 708 countSan Miguel County708Elbert County: 705 countElbert County705Logan County: 648 countLogan County648Alamosa County: 612 countAlamosa County612Archuleta County: 600 countArchuleta County600Las Animas County: 596 countLas Animas County596Park County: 568 countPark County568Otero County: 513 countOtero County513Moffat County: 454 countMoffat County454Rio Grande County: 438 countRio Grande County438Yuma County: 427 countYuma County427Prowers County: 393 countProwers County393Clear Creek County: 380 countClear Creek County380
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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Denver County34,678+3.8%
2Arapahoe County22,853+2.3%
3Jefferson County20,936+2.2%
4El Paso County20,814+2.8%
5Boulder County16,024+2.3%
6Larimer County12,767+2.4%
7Douglas County12,745+3.4%
8Adams County11,630+2.9%
9Weld County7,859+3.6%
10Mesa County5,092+2.5%
11Eagle County3,563+0.9%
12Pueblo County3,546+1.8%
13Broomfield County2,933+1.4%
14Garfield County2,714+1.8%
15La Plata County2,686+0.8%
16Summit County2,368+2%
17Pitkin County1,868+1.6%
18Routt County1,860+2.3%
19Montrose County1,431+2.5%
20Gunnison County1,226+0.8%
21Chaffee County1,066+3.2%
22Fremont County946+0.9%
23Montezuma County940+0.9%
24Teller County937+2.6%
25Delta County928+1.8%
26Grand County883+0.5%
27Morgan County827+1%
28San Miguel County708-0.6%
29Elbert County705+3.5%
30Logan County648-2.3%
31Alamosa County612-2.1%
32Archuleta County600+2%
33Las Animas County596+2.1%
34Park County568+1.4%
35Otero County5130%
36Moffat County454-2.8%
37Rio Grande County438+1.4%
38Yuma County427-0.5%
39Prowers County393-0.8%
40Clear Creek County380+0.8%
41Ouray County343-1.7%
42Kit Carson County297-0.7%
43Rio Blanco County2620%
44Lake County245-0.4%
45Saguache County207+1.5%
46Conejos County181+4%
46Gilpin County181+5.8%
48Huerfano County179-2.7%
49Phillips County171+3%
50Lincoln County164+0.6%
51Custer County155+5.4%
52Washington County148-5.1%
53Baca County1150%
54Costilla County104+7.2%
55Bent County99-2.9%
56Cheyenne County92+2.2%
57Sedgwick County91+1.1%
58Jackson County890%
59Dolores County86+3.6%
60Hinsdale County82-1.2%
60San Juan County82+1.2%
62Mineral County74+7.2%
63Crowley County630%
64Kiowa County50-9.1%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_colorado_by_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/colorado-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 34,678 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Kiowa County, with 50 in 2019.

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