Counties in Colorado by employer firms

Denver County had the highest employer firms of 64 counties in 2017, at 18,700. Crowley County had the lowest, at 31. The median was 393 and the figure for Colorado was 118,012. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest18,700Denver County
Median39364 counties
Colorado118,012History

Map of counties, 2017

Adams County: 7,497 countAlamosa County: 429 countArapahoe County: 13,918 countArchuleta County: 425 countBaca County: 67 countBent County: 54 countBoulder County: 9,646 countBroomfield County: 1,750 countChaffee County: 773 countCheyenne County: 53 countClear Creek County: 278 countConejos County: 96 countCostilla County: 38 countCrowley County: 31 countCuster County: 115 countDelta County: 686 countDenver County: 18,700 countDolores County: 47 countDouglas County: 6,671 countEagle County: 2,578 countElbert County: 522 countEl Paso County: 12,532 countFremont County: 744 countGarfield County: 1,916 countGilpin County: 108 countGrand County: 730 countGunnison County: 919 countHinsdale County: 47 countHuerfano County: 131 countJackson County: 60 countJefferson County: 12,979 countKiowa County: 32 countKit Carson County: 240 countLake County: 179 countLa Plata County: 1,981 countLarimer County: 8,493 countLas Animas County: 326 countLincoln County: 121 countLogan County: 507 countMesa County: 3,567 countMineral County: 53 countMoffat County: 334 countMontezuma County: 662 countMontrose County: 1,076 countMorgan County: 592 countOtero County: 353 countOuray County: 222 countPark County: 361 countPhillips County: 120 countPitkin County: 1,163 countProwers County: 304 countPueblo County: 2,520 countRio Blanco County: 186 countRio Grande County: 274 countRoutt County: 1,393 countSaguache County: 102 countSan Juan County: 53 countSan Miguel County: 491 countSedgwick County: 69 countSummit County: 1,603 countTeller County: 584 countWashington County: 101 countWeld County: 5,018 countYuma County: 280 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 400
  • 400 to 700
  • 700 to 2,500
  • 2,500 and over
count, 2017. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2017

Denver County: 18,700 countDenver County18,700Arapahoe County: 13,918 countArapahoe County13,918Jefferson County: 12,979 countJefferson County12,979El Paso County: 12,532 countEl Paso County12,532Boulder County: 9,646 countBoulder County9,646Larimer County: 8,493 countLarimer County8,493Adams County: 7,497 countAdams County7,497Douglas County: 6,671 countDouglas County6,671Weld County: 5,018 countWeld County5,018Mesa County: 3,567 countMesa County3,567Eagle County: 2,578 countEagle County2,578Pueblo County: 2,520 countPueblo County2,520La Plata County: 1,981 countLa Plata County1,981Garfield County: 1,916 countGarfield County1,916Broomfield County: 1,750 countBroomfield County1,750Summit County: 1,603 countSummit County1,603Routt County: 1,393 countRoutt County1,393Pitkin County: 1,163 countPitkin County1,163Montrose County: 1,076 countMontrose County1,076Gunnison County: 919 countGunnison County919Chaffee County: 773 countChaffee County773Fremont County: 744 countFremont County744Grand County: 730 countGrand County730Delta County: 686 countDelta County686Montezuma County: 662 countMontezuma County662Morgan County: 592 countMorgan County592Teller County: 584 countTeller County584Elbert County: 522 countElbert County522Logan County: 507 countLogan County507San Miguel County: 491 countSan Miguel County491Alamosa County: 429 countAlamosa County429Archuleta County: 425 countArchuleta County425Park County: 361 countPark County361Otero County: 353 countOtero County353Moffat County: 334 countMoffat County334Las Animas County: 326 countLas Animas County326Prowers County: 304 countProwers County304Yuma County: 280 countYuma County280Clear Creek County: 278 countClear Creek County278Rio Grande County: 274 countRio Grande County274Denver County: 18,700 countDenver County18,700Arapahoe County: 13,918 countArapahoe County13,918Jefferson County: 12,979 countJefferson County12,979El Paso County: 12,532 countEl Paso County12,532Boulder County: 9,646 countBoulder County9,646Larimer County: 8,493 countLarimer County8,493Adams County: 7,497 countAdams County7,497Douglas County: 6,671 countDouglas County6,671Weld County: 5,018 countWeld County5,018Mesa County: 3,567 countMesa County3,567Eagle County: 2,578 countEagle County2,578Pueblo County: 2,520 countPueblo County2,520La Plata County: 1,981 countLa Plata County1,981Garfield County: 1,916 countGarfield County1,916Broomfield County: 1,750 countBroomfield County1,750Summit County: 1,603 countSummit County1,603Routt County: 1,393 countRoutt County1,393Pitkin County: 1,163 countPitkin County1,163Montrose County: 1,076 countMontrose County1,076Gunnison County: 919 countGunnison County919Chaffee County: 773 countChaffee County773Fremont County: 744 countFremont County744Grand County: 730 countGrand County730Delta County: 686 countDelta County686Montezuma County: 662 countMontezuma County662Morgan County: 592 countMorgan County592Teller County: 584 countTeller County584Elbert County: 522 countElbert County522Logan County: 507 countLogan County507San Miguel County: 491 countSan Miguel County491Alamosa County: 429 countAlamosa County429Archuleta County: 425 countArchuleta County425Park County: 361 countPark County361Otero County: 353 countOtero County353Moffat County: 334 countMoffat County334Las Animas County: 326 countLas Animas County326Prowers County: 304 countProwers County304Yuma County: 280 countYuma County280Clear Creek County: 278 countClear Creek County278Rio Grande County: 274 countRio Grande County274
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Denver County18,700+1.6%
2Arapahoe County13,918+2.2%
3Jefferson County12,979+0.6%
4El Paso County12,532+2.7%
5Boulder County9,646+1.8%
6Larimer County8,493+2.9%
7Adams County7,497+4.2%
8Douglas County6,671+2.2%
9Weld County5,018+2.3%
10Mesa County3,567-0.7%
11Eagle County2,578+2.7%
12Pueblo County2,520+0.7%
13La Plata County1,981+1.1%
14Garfield County1,916+1.3%
15Broomfield County1,750+3.8%
16Summit County1,603+0.6%
17Routt County1,393+4.1%
18Pitkin County1,163+0.7%
19Montrose County1,076+0.3%
20Gunnison County919+4.3%
21Chaffee County773+1.6%
22Fremont County744-1.8%
23Grand County730-0.1%
24Delta County686+1.8%
25Montezuma County662-0.2%
26Morgan County592+2.8%
27Teller County584-0.2%
28Elbert County522+3.8%
29Logan County507-0.8%
30San Miguel County491+1.2%
31Alamosa County429+3.4%
32Archuleta County425+2.2%
33Park County361+4%
34Otero County353-0.8%
35Moffat County334-3.5%
36Las Animas County326-2.4%
37Prowers County304+1%
38Yuma County280-3.1%
39Clear Creek County278+2.2%
40Rio Grande County274-2.5%
41Kit Carson County240+3%
42Ouray County222+3.7%
43Rio Blanco County1860%
44Lake County1790%
45Huerfano County131-0.8%
46Lincoln County121+4.3%
47Phillips County120+7.1%
48Custer County115-1.7%
49Gilpin County108+0.9%
50Saguache County102-1.9%
51Washington County1010%
52Conejos County96-3%
53Sedgwick County69+6.2%
54Baca County67+1.5%
55Jackson County60-7.7%
56Bent County54+5.9%
57Cheyenne County53+1.9%
57Mineral County53-7%
57San Juan County53+12.8%
60Dolores County47+11.9%
60Hinsdale County47-6%
62Costilla County38+2.7%
63Kiowa County320%
64Crowley County31+3.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/colorado-counties?period=2017. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/colorado-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/colorado-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_colorado_by_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 2017}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/colorado-counties?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 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.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/colorado-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/colorado-counties?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Denver County, with 18,700 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Crowley County, with 31 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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Colorado: more rankings