Counties in Colorado by employer firms

Denver County had the highest employer firms of 64 counties in 2020, at 19,542. Kiowa County had the lowest, at 34. The median was 407 and the figure for Colorado was 122,309. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest19,542Denver County
Lowest34Kiowa County
Median40764 counties
Colorado122,309History

Map of counties, 2020

Adams County: 7,846 countAlamosa County: 414 countArapahoe County: 14,267 countArchuleta County: 442 countBaca County: 69 countBent County: 49 countBoulder County: 9,962 countBroomfield County: 1,859 countChaffee County: 809 countCheyenne County: 53 countClear Creek County: 261 countConejos County: 95 countCostilla County: 42 countCrowley County: 35 countCuster County: 125 countDelta County: 702 countDenver County: 19,542 countDolores County: 54 countDouglas County: 7,184 countEagle County: 2,601 countElbert County: 537 countEl Paso County: 13,070 countFremont County: 760 countGarfield County: 1,982 countGilpin County: 111 countGrand County: 762 countGunnison County: 925 countHinsdale County: 56 countHuerfano County: 132 countJackson County: 60 countJefferson County: 13,229 countKiowa County: 34 countKit Carson County: 236 countLake County: 192 countLa Plata County: 1,983 countLarimer County: 8,833 countLas Animas County: 328 countLincoln County: 130 countLogan County: 491 countMesa County: 3,648 countMineral County: 53 countMoffat County: 315 countMontezuma County: 659 countMontrose County: 1,113 countMorgan County: 610 countOtero County: 349 countOuray County: 248 countPark County: 399 countPhillips County: 118 countPitkin County: 1,222 countProwers County: 293 countPueblo County: 2,583 countRio Blanco County: 168 countRio Grande County: 301 countRoutt County: 1,444 countSaguache County: 106 countSan Juan County: 50 countSan Miguel County: 524 countSedgwick County: 63 countSummit County: 1,611 countTeller County: 635 countWashington County: 99 countWeld County: 5,401 countYuma County: 272 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 400
  • 400 to 800
  • 800 to 2,600
  • 2,600 and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

Denver County: 19,542 countDenver County19,542Arapahoe County: 14,267 countArapahoe County14,267Jefferson County: 13,229 countJefferson County13,229El Paso County: 13,070 countEl Paso County13,070Boulder County: 9,962 countBoulder County9,962Larimer County: 8,833 countLarimer County8,833Adams County: 7,846 countAdams County7,846Douglas County: 7,184 countDouglas County7,184Weld County: 5,401 countWeld County5,401Mesa County: 3,648 countMesa County3,648Eagle County: 2,601 countEagle County2,601Pueblo County: 2,583 countPueblo County2,583La Plata County: 1,983 countLa Plata County1,983Garfield County: 1,982 countGarfield County1,982Broomfield County: 1,859 countBroomfield County1,859Summit County: 1,611 countSummit County1,611Routt County: 1,444 countRoutt County1,444Pitkin County: 1,222 countPitkin County1,222Montrose County: 1,113 countMontrose County1,113Gunnison County: 925 countGunnison County925Chaffee County: 809 countChaffee County809Grand County: 762 countGrand County762Fremont County: 760 countFremont County760Delta County: 702 countDelta County702Montezuma County: 659 countMontezuma County659Teller County: 635 countTeller County635Morgan County: 610 countMorgan County610Elbert County: 537 countElbert County537San Miguel County: 524 countSan Miguel County524Logan County: 491 countLogan County491Archuleta County: 442 countArchuleta County442Alamosa County: 414 countAlamosa County414Park County: 399 countPark County399Otero County: 349 countOtero County349Las Animas County: 328 countLas Animas County328Moffat County: 315 countMoffat County315Rio Grande County: 301 countRio Grande County301Prowers County: 293 countProwers County293Yuma County: 272 countYuma County272Clear Creek County: 261 countClear Creek County261Denver County: 19,542 countDenver County19,542Arapahoe County: 14,267 countArapahoe County14,267Jefferson County: 13,229 countJefferson County13,229El Paso County: 13,070 countEl Paso County13,070Boulder County: 9,962 countBoulder County9,962Larimer County: 8,833 countLarimer County8,833Adams County: 7,846 countAdams County7,846Douglas County: 7,184 countDouglas County7,184Weld County: 5,401 countWeld County5,401Mesa County: 3,648 countMesa County3,648Eagle County: 2,601 countEagle County2,601Pueblo County: 2,583 countPueblo County2,583La Plata County: 1,983 countLa Plata County1,983Garfield County: 1,982 countGarfield County1,982Broomfield County: 1,859 countBroomfield County1,859Summit County: 1,611 countSummit County1,611Routt County: 1,444 countRoutt County1,444Pitkin County: 1,222 countPitkin County1,222Montrose County: 1,113 countMontrose County1,113Gunnison County: 925 countGunnison County925Chaffee County: 809 countChaffee County809Grand County: 762 countGrand County762Fremont County: 760 countFremont County760Delta County: 702 countDelta County702Montezuma County: 659 countMontezuma County659Teller County: 635 countTeller County635Morgan County: 610 countMorgan County610Elbert County: 537 countElbert County537San Miguel County: 524 countSan Miguel County524Logan County: 491 countLogan County491Archuleta County: 442 countArchuleta County442Alamosa County: 414 countAlamosa County414Park County: 399 countPark County399Otero County: 349 countOtero County349Las Animas County: 328 countLas Animas County328Moffat County: 315 countMoffat County315Rio Grande County: 301 countRio Grande County301Prowers County: 293 countProwers County293Yuma County: 272 countYuma County272Clear Creek County: 261 countClear Creek County261
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
count
Change on 2019
1Denver County19,542+0.6%
2Arapahoe County14,2670%
3Jefferson County13,229+0.6%
4El Paso County13,070+0.2%
5Boulder County9,962+0.3%
6Larimer County8,833+0.2%
7Adams County7,846+0.3%
8Douglas County7,184+1.8%
9Weld County5,401+1.4%
10Mesa County3,648-0.8%
11Eagle County2,601-0.5%
12Pueblo County2,583-0.6%
13La Plata County1,983-0.9%
14Garfield County1,982-1.1%
15Broomfield County1,859+1.4%
16Summit County1,611-0.4%
17Routt County1,444+2.1%
18Pitkin County1,222+2.4%
19Montrose County1,113+1.6%
20Gunnison County925-2.2%
21Chaffee County809+0.1%
22Grand County762+2.7%
23Fremont County760+2%
24Delta County702-0.8%
25Montezuma County659+0.5%
26Teller County635-0.2%
27Morgan County610+0.3%
28Elbert County537-1.6%
29San Miguel County524+1.7%
30Logan County491-2.6%
31Archuleta County442+0.7%
32Alamosa County414-2.1%
33Park County399+3.1%
34Otero County349+0.9%
35Las Animas County328-0.9%
36Moffat County315-2.5%
37Rio Grande County301+2.7%
38Prowers County293-2.7%
39Yuma County272+0.4%
40Clear Creek County261-4.4%
41Ouray County248+1.6%
42Kit Carson County236+0.9%
43Lake County192+0.5%
44Rio Blanco County168-0.6%
45Huerfano County132+2.3%
46Lincoln County130+9.2%
47Custer County125+5%
48Phillips County118-1.7%
49Gilpin County111-1.8%
50Saguache County106-6.2%
51Washington County99-1%
52Conejos County95-5%
53Baca County69+3%
54Sedgwick County63-1.6%
55Jackson County60+3.4%
56Hinsdale County56+12%
57Dolores County54+5.9%
58Cheyenne County530%
58Mineral County53+1.9%
60San Juan County50-3.8%
61Bent County49-3.9%
62Costilla County420%
63Crowley County35+9.4%
64Kiowa County340%

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_colorado_by_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Colorado by employer firms, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/colorado-counties?period=2020.
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 19,542 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Kiowa County, with 34 in 2020.

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