Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW)

Denver County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 64 counties in 2022, at 555,532 jobs. Hinsdale County had the lowest, at 282 jobs. The median was 4,793 jobs and the figure for Colorado was 2,814,975 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest555,532Denver County
Median4,79364 counties
Colorado2,814,975History

Map of counties, 2022

Adams County: 238,188 jobsAlamosa County: 8,390 jobsArapahoe County: 335,587 jobsArchuleta County: 4,517 jobsBaca County: 1,186 jobsBent County: 1,113 jobsBoulder County: 193,368 jobsBroomfield County: 42,352 jobsChaffee County: 8,681 jobsCheyenne County: 685 jobsClear Creek County: 3,330 jobsConejos County: 1,606 jobsCostilla County: 940 jobsCrowley County: 1,091 jobsCuster County: 1,027 jobsDelta County: 8,337 jobsDenver County: 555,532 jobsDolores County: 589 jobsDouglas County: 140,210 jobsEagle County: 34,024 jobsElbert County: 4,404 jobsEl Paso County: 296,816 jobsFremont County: 13,821 jobsGarfield County: 26,020 jobsGilpin County: 4,346 jobsGrand County: 7,676 jobsGunnison County: 9,167 jobsHinsdale County: 282 jobsHuerfano County: 1,688 jobsJackson County: 598 jobsJefferson County: 243,025 jobsKiowa County: 452 jobsKit Carson County: 2,927 jobsLake County: 2,538 jobsLa Plata County: 26,296 jobsLarimer County: 171,495 jobsLas Animas County: 4,892 jobsLincoln County: 2,157 jobsLogan County: 7,603 jobsMesa County: 64,485 jobsMineral County: 559 jobsMoffat County: 4,537 jobsMontezuma County: 9,261 jobsMontrose County: 15,921 jobsMorgan County: 12,499 jobsOtero County: 6,071 jobsOuray County: 2,121 jobsPark County: 2,818 jobsPhillips County: 1,669 jobsPitkin County: 16,942 jobsProwers County: 4,694 jobsPueblo County: 62,951 jobsRio Blanco County: 2,857 jobsRio Grande County: 4,174 jobsRoutt County: 15,692 jobsSaguache County: 1,517 jobsSan Juan County: 371 jobsSan Miguel County: 5,805 jobsSedgwick County: 708 jobsSummit County: 22,103 jobsTeller County: 7,948 jobsWashington County: 1,152 jobsWeld County: 111,617 jobsYuma County: 3,920 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 53K
  • 53K and over
jobs, 2022. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Denver County: 555,532 jobsDenver County555,532Arapahoe County: 335,587 jobsArapahoe County335,587El Paso County: 296,816 jobsEl Paso County296,816Jefferson County: 243,025 jobsJefferson County243,025Adams County: 238,188 jobsAdams County238,188Boulder County: 193,368 jobsBoulder County193,368Larimer County: 171,495 jobsLarimer County171,495Douglas County: 140,210 jobsDouglas County140,210Weld County: 111,617 jobsWeld County111,617Mesa County: 64,485 jobsMesa County64,485Pueblo County: 62,951 jobsPueblo County62,951Broomfield County: 42,352 jobsBroomfield County42,352Eagle County: 34,024 jobsEagle County34,024La Plata County: 26,296 jobsLa Plata County26,296Garfield County: 26,020 jobsGarfield County26,020Summit County: 22,103 jobsSummit County22,103Pitkin County: 16,942 jobsPitkin County16,942Montrose County: 15,921 jobsMontrose County15,921Routt County: 15,692 jobsRoutt County15,692Fremont County: 13,821 jobsFremont County13,821Morgan County: 12,499 jobsMorgan County12,499Montezuma County: 9,261 jobsMontezuma County9,261Gunnison County: 9,167 jobsGunnison County9,167Chaffee County: 8,681 jobsChaffee County8,681Alamosa County: 8,390 jobsAlamosa County8,390Delta County: 8,337 jobsDelta County8,337Teller County: 7,948 jobsTeller County7,948Grand County: 7,676 jobsGrand County7,676Logan County: 7,603 jobsLogan County7,603Otero County: 6,071 jobsOtero County6,071San Miguel County: 5,805 jobsSan Miguel County5,805Las Animas County: 4,892 jobsLas Animas County4,892Prowers County: 4,694 jobsProwers County4,694Moffat County: 4,537 jobsMoffat County4,537Archuleta County: 4,517 jobsArchuleta County4,517Elbert County: 4,404 jobsElbert County4,404Gilpin County: 4,346 jobsGilpin County4,346Rio Grande County: 4,174 jobsRio Grande County4,174Yuma County: 3,920 jobsYuma County3,920Clear Creek County: 3,330 jobsClear Creek County3,330Denver County: 555,532 jobsDenver County555,532Arapahoe County: 335,587 jobsArapahoe County335,587El Paso County: 296,816 jobsEl Paso County296,816Jefferson County: 243,025 jobsJefferson County243,025Adams County: 238,188 jobsAdams County238,188Boulder County: 193,368 jobsBoulder County193,368Larimer County: 171,495 jobsLarimer County171,495Douglas County: 140,210 jobsDouglas County140,210Weld County: 111,617 jobsWeld County111,617Mesa County: 64,485 jobsMesa County64,485Pueblo County: 62,951 jobsPueblo County62,951Broomfield County: 42,352 jobsBroomfield County42,352Eagle County: 34,024 jobsEagle County34,024La Plata County: 26,296 jobsLa Plata County26,296Garfield County: 26,020 jobsGarfield County26,020Summit County: 22,103 jobsSummit County22,103Pitkin County: 16,942 jobsPitkin County16,942Montrose County: 15,921 jobsMontrose County15,921Routt County: 15,692 jobsRoutt County15,692Fremont County: 13,821 jobsFremont County13,821Morgan County: 12,499 jobsMorgan County12,499Montezuma County: 9,261 jobsMontezuma County9,261Gunnison County: 9,167 jobsGunnison County9,167Chaffee County: 8,681 jobsChaffee County8,681Alamosa County: 8,390 jobsAlamosa County8,390Delta County: 8,337 jobsDelta County8,337Teller County: 7,948 jobsTeller County7,948Grand County: 7,676 jobsGrand County7,676Logan County: 7,603 jobsLogan County7,603Otero County: 6,071 jobsOtero County6,071San Miguel County: 5,805 jobsSan Miguel County5,805Las Animas County: 4,892 jobsLas Animas County4,892Prowers County: 4,694 jobsProwers County4,694Moffat County: 4,537 jobsMoffat County4,537Archuleta County: 4,517 jobsArchuleta County4,517Elbert County: 4,404 jobsElbert County4,404Gilpin County: 4,346 jobsGilpin County4,346Rio Grande County: 4,174 jobsRio Grande County4,174Yuma County: 3,920 jobsYuma County3,920Clear Creek County: 3,330 jobsClear Creek County3,330
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
jobs
Change on 2021
1Denver County555,532+7.5%
2Arapahoe County335,587+2.3%
3El Paso County296,816+3.6%
4Jefferson County243,025+2.8%
5Adams County238,188+4.4%
6Boulder County193,368+3.8%
7Larimer County171,495+4.1%
8Douglas County140,210+3.8%
9Weld County111,617+4.3%
10Mesa County64,485+2%
11Pueblo County62,951+2.3%
12Broomfield County42,352+6.8%
13Eagle County34,024+3.5%
14La Plata County26,296+4.2%
15Garfield County26,020+2.3%
16Summit County22,103+5.3%
17Pitkin County16,942+7.5%
18Montrose County15,921+2.5%
19Routt County15,692+5.9%
20Fremont County13,821-1%
21Morgan County12,499+2.1%
22Montezuma County9,261+0.8%
23Gunnison County9,167+3.7%
24Chaffee County8,681+3.4%
25Alamosa County8,390+2.6%
26Delta County8,337+0.6%
27Teller County7,948+2.6%
28Grand County7,676+3.6%
29Logan County7,603-0.1%
30Otero County6,071+0.3%
31San Miguel County5,805+6.3%
32Las Animas County4,892+2.1%
33Prowers County4,694+4.1%
34Moffat County4,537-0.4%
35Archuleta County4,517+2.5%
36Elbert County4,404+9.4%
37Gilpin County4,346+8.6%
38Rio Grande County4,174+1.5%
39Yuma County3,920+0.3%
40Clear Creek County3,330+9.5%
41Kit Carson County2,927+2.1%
42Rio Blanco County2,857+2.9%
43Park County2,818+4.8%
44Lake County2,538+7.2%
45Lincoln County2,157+0.1%
46Ouray County2,121-2.7%
47Huerfano County1,688-3.9%
48Phillips County1,669+0.8%
49Conejos County1,606+3.1%
50Saguache County1,517-1.4%
51Baca County1,186+6%
52Washington County1,152+1.6%
53Bent County1,113+3.1%
54Crowley County1,091-4.2%
55Custer County1,027+7.4%
56Costilla County940+1%
57Sedgwick County708-7.8%
58Cheyenne County685-2.6%
59Jackson County598+0.2%
60Dolores County589+6.1%
61Mineral County559+7.5%
62Kiowa County452-5.4%
63San Juan County371-0.3%
64Hinsdale County282+2.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of 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. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW), 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_colorado_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Denver County, with 555,532 jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Hinsdale County, with 282 jobs in 2022.

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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Colorado: more rankings