Counties in Colorado by employer firm births

Denver County had the highest employer firm births of 59 counties in 2017, at 1,752. Kiowa County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 34 and the figure for Colorado was 11,118. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest1,752Denver County
Median3459 counties
Colorado11,118History

Map of counties, 2017

Adams County: 749 countAlamosa County: 26 countArapahoe County: 1,279 countArchuleta County: 43 countBent County: 3 countBoulder County: 879 countBroomfield County: 158 countChaffee County: 63 countCheyenne County: 5 countClear Creek County: 31 countConejos County: 6 countCuster County: 9 countDelta County: 54 countDenver County: 1,752 countDolores County: 6 countDouglas County: 653 countEagle County: 203 countElbert County: 45 countEl Paso County: 1,166 countFremont County: 44 countGarfield County: 138 countGilpin County: 11 countGrand County: 50 countGunnison County: 61 countHinsdale County: 3 countHuerfano County: 11 countJefferson County: 1,118 countKiowa County: 0 countKit Carson County: 11 countLake County: 15 countLa Plata County: 161 countLarimer County: 748 countLas Animas County: 12 countLincoln County: 9 countLogan County: 23 countMesa County: 216 countMoffat County: 15 countMontezuma County: 30 countMontrose County: 63 countMorgan County: 41 countOtero County: 19 countOuray County: 26 countPark County: 35 countPhillips County: 10 countPitkin County: 89 countProwers County: 10 countPueblo County: 176 countRio Blanco County: 11 countRio Grande County: 17 countRoutt County: 139 countSaguache County: 7 countSan Juan County: 6 countSan Miguel County: 34 countSedgwick County: 5 countSummit County: 142 countTeller County: 43 countWashington County: 6 countWeld County: 453 countYuma County: 12 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 30
  • 30 to 60
  • 60 to 210
  • 210 and over
  • No data
count, 2017. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2017

Denver County: 1,752 countDenver County1,752Arapahoe County: 1,279 countArapahoe County1,279El Paso County: 1,166 countEl Paso County1,166Jefferson County: 1,118 countJefferson County1,118Boulder County: 879 countBoulder County879Adams County: 749 countAdams County749Larimer County: 748 countLarimer County748Douglas County: 653 countDouglas County653Weld County: 453 countWeld County453Mesa County: 216 countMesa County216Eagle County: 203 countEagle County203Pueblo County: 176 countPueblo County176La Plata County: 161 countLa Plata County161Broomfield County: 158 countBroomfield County158Summit County: 142 countSummit County142Routt County: 139 countRoutt County139Garfield County: 138 countGarfield County138Pitkin County: 89 countPitkin County89Chaffee County: 63 countChaffee County63Montrose County: 63 countMontrose County63Gunnison County: 61 countGunnison County61Delta County: 54 countDelta County54Grand County: 50 countGrand County50Elbert County: 45 countElbert County45Fremont County: 44 countFremont County44Archuleta County: 43 countArchuleta County43Teller County: 43 countTeller County43Morgan County: 41 countMorgan County41Park County: 35 countPark County35San Miguel County: 34 countSan Miguel County34Clear Creek County: 31 countClear Creek County31Montezuma County: 30 countMontezuma County30Alamosa County: 26 countAlamosa County26Ouray County: 26 countOuray County26Logan County: 23 countLogan County23Otero County: 19 countOtero County19Rio Grande County: 17 countRio Grande County17Lake County: 15 countLake County15Moffat County: 15 countMoffat County15Las Animas County: 12 countLas Animas County12Yuma County: 12 countYuma County12Gilpin County: 11 countGilpin County11Huerfano County: 11 countHuerfano County11Kit Carson County: 11 countKit Carson County11Rio Blanco County: 11 countRio Blanco County11Phillips County: 10 countPhillips County10Prowers County: 10 countProwers County10Custer County: 9 countCuster County9Lincoln County: 9 countLincoln County9Saguache County: 7 countSaguache County7Conejos County: 6 countConejos County6Dolores County: 6 countDolores County6San Juan County: 6 countSan Juan County6Washington County: 6 countWashington County6Cheyenne County: 5 countCheyenne County5Sedgwick County: 5 countSedgwick County5Bent County: 3 countBent County3Hinsdale County: 3 countHinsdale County3Kiowa County: 0 countKiowa County0Denver County: 1,752 countDenver County1,752Arapahoe County: 1,279 countArapahoe County1,279El Paso County: 1,166 countEl Paso County1,166Jefferson County: 1,118 countJefferson County1,118Boulder County: 879 countBoulder County879Adams County: 749 countAdams County749Larimer County: 748 countLarimer County748Douglas County: 653 countDouglas County653Weld County: 453 countWeld County453Mesa County: 216 countMesa County216Eagle County: 203 countEagle County203Pueblo County: 176 countPueblo County176La Plata County: 161 countLa Plata County161Broomfield County: 158 countBroomfield County158Summit County: 142 countSummit County142Routt County: 139 countRoutt County139Garfield County: 138 countGarfield County138Pitkin County: 89 countPitkin County89Chaffee County: 63 countChaffee County63Montrose County: 63 countMontrose County63Gunnison County: 61 countGunnison County61Delta County: 54 countDelta County54Grand County: 50 countGrand County50Elbert County: 45 countElbert County45Fremont County: 44 countFremont County44Archuleta County: 43 countArchuleta County43Teller County: 43 countTeller County43Morgan County: 41 countMorgan County41Park County: 35 countPark County35San Miguel County: 34 countSan Miguel County34Clear Creek County: 31 countClear Creek County31Montezuma County: 30 countMontezuma County30Alamosa County: 26 countAlamosa County26Ouray County: 26 countOuray County26Logan County: 23 countLogan County23Otero County: 19 countOtero County19Rio Grande County: 17 countRio Grande County17Lake County: 15 countLake County15Moffat County: 15 countMoffat County15Las Animas County: 12 countLas Animas County12Yuma County: 12 countYuma County12Gilpin County: 11 countGilpin County11Huerfano County: 11 countHuerfano County11Kit Carson County: 11 countKit Carson County11Rio Blanco County: 11 countRio Blanco County11Phillips County: 10 countPhillips County10Prowers County: 10 countProwers County10Custer County: 9 countCuster County9Lincoln County: 9 countLincoln County9Saguache County: 7 countSaguache County7Conejos County: 6 countConejos County6Dolores County: 6 countDolores County6San Juan County: 6 countSan Juan County6Washington County: 6 countWashington County6Cheyenne County: 5 countCheyenne County5Sedgwick County: 5 countSedgwick County5Bent County: 3 countBent County3Hinsdale County: 3 countHinsdale County3Kiowa County: 0 countKiowa County0
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Denver County1,752-1.2%
2Arapahoe County1,279-1.3%
3El Paso County1,166+2.6%
4Jefferson County1,118-1.7%
5Boulder County879+5.1%
6Adams County749+5.2%
7Larimer County748+4.3%
8Douglas County653-7%
9Weld County453-1.9%
10Mesa County216-13.3%
11Eagle County203+9.1%
12Pueblo County176+7.3%
13La Plata County161+8.8%
14Broomfield County158-2.5%
15Summit County142+8.4%
16Routt County139+36.3%
17Garfield County138-1.4%
18Pitkin County89+18.7%
19Chaffee County63+21.2%
19Montrose County63-13.7%
21Gunnison County61-11.6%
22Delta County54+20%
23Grand County50-10.7%
24Elbert County45+4.7%
25Fremont County44-25.4%
26Archuleta County43+30.3%
26Teller County43-17.3%
28Morgan County41+46.4%
29Park County35+45.8%
30San Miguel County34+17.2%
31Clear Creek County31+14.8%
32Montezuma County30-18.9%
33Alamosa County26+30%
33Ouray County26+85.7%
35Logan County23-4.2%
36Otero County19+5.6%
37Rio Grande County17+70%
38Lake County15+36.4%
38Moffat County15-21.1%
40Las Animas County12-45.5%
40Yuma County12-7.7%
42Gilpin County11+10%
42Huerfano County11-21.4%
42Kit Carson County110%
42Rio Blanco County11+120%
46Phillips County10n/a
46Prowers County10-44.4%
48Custer County9+28.6%
48Lincoln County9+125%
50Saguache County7-12.5%
51Conejos County6+20%
51Dolores County6-25%
51San Juan County6-14.3%
51Washington County6-33.3%
55Cheyenne County5+66.7%
55Sedgwick County5+66.7%
57Bent County3n/a
57Hinsdale County3n/a
59Kiowa County0-100%

Other periods

About this ranking

New employer firms: firms of age zero in March of the year, meaning that every establishment of the firm had its first employees during the previous twelve months. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, which calls these firms startups.

A firm counts only when it has employees, so a business without staff is not a birth, and a new branch, merger or change of ownership of an existing firm is not a birth either. Not the same as business_applications (requests for an employer number) or enterprise_births (European business demography). The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. 5 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2017 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978 (Counties in Colorado by employer firm births, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in Colorado by employer firm births, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/colorado-counties?period=2017. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Counties in Colorado by employer firm births, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/colorado-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in Colorado by employer firm births, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/colorado-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_colorado_by_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in Colorado by employer firm births, 2017}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-22},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/colorado-counties?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty\_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in Colorado by employer firm births, 2017
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/colorado-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/colorado-counties?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Denver County, with 1,752 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Kiowa County, with 0 in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22. 5 counties have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Colorado: more rankings