Counties in Colorado by covered employment (QCEW)

Denver County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 64 counties in 2024, at 565,183 jobs. Hinsdale County had the lowest, at 307 jobs. The median was 4,881 jobs and the figure for Colorado was 2,897,901 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest565,183Denver County
Median4,88164 counties
Colorado2,897,901History

Map of counties, 2024

Adams County: 249,299 jobsAlamosa County: 8,152 jobsArapahoe County: 339,996 jobsArchuleta County: 4,873 jobsBaca County: 1,171 jobsBent County: 1,178 jobsBoulder County: 193,920 jobsBroomfield County: 41,920 jobsChaffee County: 9,229 jobsCheyenne County: 720 jobsClear Creek County: 3,323 jobsConejos County: 1,648 jobsCostilla County: 962 jobsCrowley County: 1,155 jobsCuster County: 1,019 jobsDelta County: 8,997 jobsDenver County: 565,183 jobsDolores County: 545 jobsDouglas County: 147,461 jobsEagle County: 35,441 jobsElbert County: 4,889 jobsEl Paso County: 309,483 jobsFremont County: 14,574 jobsGarfield County: 27,766 jobsGilpin County: 4,712 jobsGrand County: 8,117 jobsGunnison County: 9,692 jobsHinsdale County: 307 jobsHuerfano County: 1,830 jobsJackson County: 589 jobsJefferson County: 248,082 jobsKiowa County: 489 jobsKit Carson County: 3,013 jobsLake County: 2,935 jobsLa Plata County: 26,983 jobsLarimer County: 175,265 jobsLas Animas County: 4,776 jobsLincoln County: 2,212 jobsLogan County: 7,704 jobsMesa County: 66,864 jobsMineral County: 630 jobsMoffat County: 4,705 jobsMontezuma County: 9,453 jobsMontrose County: 17,014 jobsMorgan County: 13,106 jobsOtero County: 6,054 jobsOuray County: 2,214 jobsPark County: 3,132 jobsPhillips County: 1,782 jobsPitkin County: 18,030 jobsProwers County: 4,802 jobsPueblo County: 62,392 jobsRio Blanco County: 2,889 jobsRio Grande County: 4,482 jobsRoutt County: 16,768 jobsSaguache County: 1,768 jobsSan Juan County: 474 jobsSan Miguel County: 6,077 jobsSedgwick County: 734 jobsSummit County: 22,553 jobsTeller County: 8,473 jobsWashington County: 1,178 jobsWeld County: 118,827 jobsYuma County: 3,996 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 10K
  • 10K to 52K
  • 52K and over
jobs, 2024. 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, 2024

Denver County: 565,183 jobsDenver County565,183Arapahoe County: 339,996 jobsArapahoe County339,996El Paso County: 309,483 jobsEl Paso County309,483Adams County: 249,299 jobsAdams County249,299Jefferson County: 248,082 jobsJefferson County248,082Boulder County: 193,920 jobsBoulder County193,920Larimer County: 175,265 jobsLarimer County175,265Douglas County: 147,461 jobsDouglas County147,461Weld County: 118,827 jobsWeld County118,827Mesa County: 66,864 jobsMesa County66,864Pueblo County: 62,392 jobsPueblo County62,392Broomfield County: 41,920 jobsBroomfield County41,920Eagle County: 35,441 jobsEagle County35,441Garfield County: 27,766 jobsGarfield County27,766La Plata County: 26,983 jobsLa Plata County26,983Summit County: 22,553 jobsSummit County22,553Pitkin County: 18,030 jobsPitkin County18,030Montrose County: 17,014 jobsMontrose County17,014Routt County: 16,768 jobsRoutt County16,768Fremont County: 14,574 jobsFremont County14,574Morgan County: 13,106 jobsMorgan County13,106Gunnison County: 9,692 jobsGunnison County9,692Montezuma County: 9,453 jobsMontezuma County9,453Chaffee County: 9,229 jobsChaffee County9,229Delta County: 8,997 jobsDelta County8,997Teller County: 8,473 jobsTeller County8,473Alamosa County: 8,152 jobsAlamosa County8,152Grand County: 8,117 jobsGrand County8,117Logan County: 7,704 jobsLogan County7,704San Miguel County: 6,077 jobsSan Miguel County6,077Otero County: 6,054 jobsOtero County6,054Elbert County: 4,889 jobsElbert County4,889Archuleta County: 4,873 jobsArchuleta County4,873Prowers County: 4,802 jobsProwers County4,802Las Animas County: 4,776 jobsLas Animas County4,776Gilpin County: 4,712 jobsGilpin County4,712Moffat County: 4,705 jobsMoffat County4,705Rio Grande County: 4,482 jobsRio Grande County4,482Yuma County: 3,996 jobsYuma County3,996Clear Creek County: 3,323 jobsClear Creek County3,323Denver County: 565,183 jobsDenver County565,183Arapahoe County: 339,996 jobsArapahoe County339,996El Paso County: 309,483 jobsEl Paso County309,483Adams County: 249,299 jobsAdams County249,299Jefferson County: 248,082 jobsJefferson County248,082Boulder County: 193,920 jobsBoulder County193,920Larimer County: 175,265 jobsLarimer County175,265Douglas County: 147,461 jobsDouglas County147,461Weld County: 118,827 jobsWeld County118,827Mesa County: 66,864 jobsMesa County66,864Pueblo County: 62,392 jobsPueblo County62,392Broomfield County: 41,920 jobsBroomfield County41,920Eagle County: 35,441 jobsEagle County35,441Garfield County: 27,766 jobsGarfield County27,766La Plata County: 26,983 jobsLa Plata County26,983Summit County: 22,553 jobsSummit County22,553Pitkin County: 18,030 jobsPitkin County18,030Montrose County: 17,014 jobsMontrose County17,014Routt County: 16,768 jobsRoutt County16,768Fremont County: 14,574 jobsFremont County14,574Morgan County: 13,106 jobsMorgan County13,106Gunnison County: 9,692 jobsGunnison County9,692Montezuma County: 9,453 jobsMontezuma County9,453Chaffee County: 9,229 jobsChaffee County9,229Delta County: 8,997 jobsDelta County8,997Teller County: 8,473 jobsTeller County8,473Alamosa County: 8,152 jobsAlamosa County8,152Grand County: 8,117 jobsGrand County8,117Logan County: 7,704 jobsLogan County7,704San Miguel County: 6,077 jobsSan Miguel County6,077Otero County: 6,054 jobsOtero County6,054Elbert County: 4,889 jobsElbert County4,889Archuleta County: 4,873 jobsArchuleta County4,873Prowers County: 4,802 jobsProwers County4,802Las Animas County: 4,776 jobsLas Animas County4,776Gilpin County: 4,712 jobsGilpin County4,712Moffat County: 4,705 jobsMoffat County4,705Rio Grande County: 4,482 jobsRio Grande County4,482Yuma County: 3,996 jobsYuma County3,996Clear Creek County: 3,323 jobsClear Creek County3,323
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

RankCounties2024
jobs
Change on 2023
1Denver County565,183-0.6%
2Arapahoe County339,996-0.2%
3El Paso County309,483+0.7%
4Adams County249,299+1.7%
5Jefferson County248,082+0.3%
6Boulder County193,920-0.7%
7Larimer County175,265+0.3%
8Douglas County147,461+3.2%
9Weld County118,827+2.3%
10Mesa County66,864+2.1%
11Pueblo County62,392-0.9%
12Broomfield County41,920-3.2%
13Eagle County35,441+1.6%
14Garfield County27,766+2.9%
15La Plata County26,983+0.8%
16Summit County22,553-0.2%
17Pitkin County18,030+1.9%
18Montrose County17,014+2.7%
19Routt County16,768+1.8%
20Fremont County14,574+3%
21Morgan County13,106+3%
22Gunnison County9,692+3.4%
23Montezuma County9,453+1.6%
24Chaffee County9,229+0.3%
25Delta County8,997+2.7%
26Teller County8,473+1.6%
27Alamosa County8,152-0.9%
28Grand County8,117+2.6%
29Logan County7,704+0.6%
30San Miguel County6,077+2.4%
31Otero County6,054-0.4%
32Elbert County4,889+3.1%
33Archuleta County4,873+4.9%
34Prowers County4,802-0.9%
35Las Animas County4,776-0.1%
36Gilpin County4,712+6.1%
37Moffat County4,705-1.6%
38Rio Grande County4,482+2.1%
39Yuma County3,996+1.9%
40Clear Creek County3,323-1.9%
41Park County3,132+4.7%
42Kit Carson County3,013-0.9%
43Lake County2,935+8.8%
44Rio Blanco County2,889+0.5%
45Ouray County2,214-0.1%
46Lincoln County2,212-0.7%
47Huerfano County1,830+4.2%
48Phillips County1,782+4.4%
49Saguache County1,768+5.7%
50Conejos County1,648+0.2%
51Bent County1,178+1.6%
51Washington County1,178+0.3%
53Baca County1,171-1.9%
54Crowley County1,155+1.4%
55Custer County1,019+0.5%
56Costilla County962-1.3%
57Sedgwick County734-0.8%
58Cheyenne County720+1.8%
59Mineral County630+5%
60Jackson County589+0.2%
61Dolores County545-4.4%
62Kiowa County489+4.3%
63San Juan County474+15%
64Hinsdale County307+2%

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/2024/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), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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), 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2024. 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), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2024.

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), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_colorado_by_2024,
  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), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2024. 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/2024/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), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/colorado-counties?period=2024.
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/2024/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 565,183 jobs in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Hinsdale County, with 307 jobs in 2024.

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