Counties in Colorado by wages and salaries paid

Denver County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 64 counties in 2016, at $34.56 billion. San Juan County had the lowest, at $8.87 million. The median was $232.45 million and the figure for Colorado was $151.17 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest34,555.2Denver County
Median232.564 counties
Colorado151,168.3History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 11,024.1 USD millionAlamosa County: 322.8 USD millionArapahoe County: 21,653.5 USD millionArchuleta County: 150.2 USD millionBaca County: 42.2 USD millionBent County: 42.4 USD millionBoulder County: 11,734.8 USD millionBroomfield County: 3,193.3 USD millionChaffee County: 289.2 USD millionCheyenne County: 33.1 USD millionClear Creek County: 143.5 USD millionConejos County: 50 USD millionCostilla County: 27.3 USD millionCrowley County: 47.2 USD millionCuster County: 32.7 USD millionDelta County: 305.3 USD millionDenver County: 34,555.2 USD millionDolores County: 18.9 USD millionDouglas County: 7,547.1 USD millionEagle County: 1,536.3 USD millionElbert County: 157.5 USD millionEl Paso County: 15,635.7 USD millionFremont County: 568.6 USD millionGarfield County: 1,285.1 USD millionGilpin County: 244.5 USD millionGrand County: 277.9 USD millionGunnison County: 325.7 USD millionHinsdale County: 9.1 USD millionHuerfano County: 61 USD millionJackson County: 19.5 USD millionJefferson County: 13,482.1 USD millionKiowa County: 23.2 USD millionKit Carson County: 115.8 USD millionLake County: 85.7 USD millionLa Plata County: 1,274.3 USD millionLarimer County: 7,938.2 USD millionLas Animas County: 200.9 USD millionLincoln County: 88.5 USD millionLogan County: 343.2 USD millionMesa County: 2,664.1 USD millionMineral County: 18 USD millionMoffat County: 235 USD millionMontezuma County: 344.4 USD millionMontrose County: 596.4 USD millionMorgan County: 525.3 USD millionOtero County: 240.8 USD millionOuray County: 63 USD millionPark County: 100.3 USD millionPhillips County: 66.5 USD millionPitkin County: 893.6 USD millionProwers County: 158 USD millionPueblo County: 2,650.3 USD millionRio Blanco County: 142.3 USD millionRio Grande County: 156.5 USD millionRoutt County: 692.8 USD millionSaguache County: 61.6 USD millionSan Juan County: 8.9 USD millionSan Miguel County: 229.9 USD millionSedgwick County: 29 USD millionSummit County: 884.5 USD millionTeller County: 296.6 USD millionWashington County: 56.4 USD millionWeld County: 5,000.6 USD millionYuma County: 167.8 USD million
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 2,700
  • 2,700 and over
USD million, 2016. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Denver County: 34,555.2 USD millionDenver County34,555.2Arapahoe County: 21,653.5 USD millionArapahoe County21,653.5El Paso County: 15,635.7 USD millionEl Paso County15,635.7Jefferson County: 13,482.1 USD millionJefferson County13,482.1Boulder County: 11,734.8 USD millionBoulder County11,734.8Adams County: 11,024.1 USD millionAdams County11,024.1Larimer County: 7,938.2 USD millionLarimer County7,938.2Douglas County: 7,547.1 USD millionDouglas County7,547.1Weld County: 5,000.6 USD millionWeld County5,000.6Broomfield County: 3,193.3 USD millionBroomfield County3,193.3Mesa County: 2,664.1 USD millionMesa County2,664.1Pueblo County: 2,650.3 USD millionPueblo County2,650.3Eagle County: 1,536.3 USD millionEagle County1,536.3Garfield County: 1,285.1 USD millionGarfield County1,285.1La Plata County: 1,274.3 USD millionLa Plata County1,274.3Pitkin County: 893.6 USD millionPitkin County893.6Summit County: 884.5 USD millionSummit County884.5Routt County: 692.8 USD millionRoutt County692.8Montrose County: 596.4 USD millionMontrose County596.4Fremont County: 568.6 USD millionFremont County568.6Morgan County: 525.3 USD millionMorgan County525.3Montezuma County: 344.4 USD millionMontezuma County344.4Logan County: 343.2 USD millionLogan County343.2Gunnison County: 325.7 USD millionGunnison County325.7Alamosa County: 322.8 USD millionAlamosa County322.8Delta County: 305.3 USD millionDelta County305.3Teller County: 296.6 USD millionTeller County296.6Chaffee County: 289.2 USD millionChaffee County289.2Grand County: 277.9 USD millionGrand County277.9Gilpin County: 244.5 USD millionGilpin County244.5Otero County: 240.8 USD millionOtero County240.8Moffat County: 235 USD millionMoffat County235San Miguel County: 229.9 USD millionSan Miguel County229.9Las Animas County: 200.9 USD millionLas Animas County200.9Yuma County: 167.8 USD millionYuma County167.8Prowers County: 158 USD millionProwers County158Elbert County: 157.5 USD millionElbert County157.5Rio Grande County: 156.5 USD millionRio Grande County156.5Archuleta County: 150.2 USD millionArchuleta County150.2Clear Creek County: 143.5 USD millionClear Creek County143.5Denver County: 34,555.2 USD millionDenver County34,555.2Arapahoe County: 21,653.5 USD millionArapahoe County21,653.5El Paso County: 15,635.7 USD millionEl Paso County15,635.7Jefferson County: 13,482.1 USD millionJefferson County13,482.1Boulder County: 11,734.8 USD millionBoulder County11,734.8Adams County: 11,024.1 USD millionAdams County11,024.1Larimer County: 7,938.2 USD millionLarimer County7,938.2Douglas County: 7,547.1 USD millionDouglas County7,547.1Weld County: 5,000.6 USD millionWeld County5,000.6Broomfield County: 3,193.3 USD millionBroomfield County3,193.3Mesa County: 2,664.1 USD millionMesa County2,664.1Pueblo County: 2,650.3 USD millionPueblo County2,650.3Eagle County: 1,536.3 USD millionEagle County1,536.3Garfield County: 1,285.1 USD millionGarfield County1,285.1La Plata County: 1,274.3 USD millionLa Plata County1,274.3Pitkin County: 893.6 USD millionPitkin County893.6Summit County: 884.5 USD millionSummit County884.5Routt County: 692.8 USD millionRoutt County692.8Montrose County: 596.4 USD millionMontrose County596.4Fremont County: 568.6 USD millionFremont County568.6Morgan County: 525.3 USD millionMorgan County525.3Montezuma County: 344.4 USD millionMontezuma County344.4Logan County: 343.2 USD millionLogan County343.2Gunnison County: 325.7 USD millionGunnison County325.7Alamosa County: 322.8 USD millionAlamosa County322.8Delta County: 305.3 USD millionDelta County305.3Teller County: 296.6 USD millionTeller County296.6Chaffee County: 289.2 USD millionChaffee County289.2Grand County: 277.9 USD millionGrand County277.9Gilpin County: 244.5 USD millionGilpin County244.5Otero County: 240.8 USD millionOtero County240.8Moffat County: 235 USD millionMoffat County235San Miguel County: 229.9 USD millionSan Miguel County229.9Las Animas County: 200.9 USD millionLas Animas County200.9Yuma County: 167.8 USD millionYuma County167.8Prowers County: 158 USD millionProwers County158Elbert County: 157.5 USD millionElbert County157.5Rio Grande County: 156.5 USD millionRio Grande County156.5Archuleta County: 150.2 USD millionArchuleta County150.2Clear Creek County: 143.5 USD millionClear Creek County143.5
USD million. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
USD million
Change on 2015
1Denver County34,555.2+3.5%
2Arapahoe County21,653.5+3.5%
3El Paso County15,635.7+3%
4Jefferson County13,482.1+3.7%
5Boulder County11,734.8+2.5%
6Adams County11,024.1+5.3%
7Larimer County7,938.2+5.3%
8Douglas County7,547.1+2.5%
9Weld County5,000.6-2%
10Broomfield County3,193.3+4.1%
11Mesa County2,664.1-1.6%
12Pueblo County2,650.3+2.7%
13Eagle County1,536.3+3.2%
14Garfield County1,285.1-0%
15La Plata County1,274.3+3%
16Pitkin County893.6+4%
17Summit County884.5+5.4%
18Routt County692.8+4.1%
19Montrose County596.4+5.1%
20Fremont County568.6+3.1%
21Morgan County525.3+1%
22Montezuma County344.4+0.7%
23Logan County343.2-0.7%
24Gunnison County325.7+4%
25Alamosa County322.8+3.3%
26Delta County305.3+0.7%
27Teller County296.6+4.2%
28Chaffee County289.2+6.8%
29Grand County277.9+1.8%
30Gilpin County244.5+2.9%
31Otero County240.8-0.8%
32Moffat County235-0.1%
33San Miguel County229.9+1.5%
34Las Animas County200.9-2.4%
35Yuma County167.8-1.9%
36Prowers County158-2.4%
37Elbert County157.5+5.9%
38Rio Grande County156.5+3.8%
39Archuleta County150.2+6.4%
40Clear Creek County143.5-13.9%
41Rio Blanco County142.3-11.4%
42Kit Carson County115.8-0.3%
43Park County100.3+7.6%
44Lincoln County88.5+2.6%
45Lake County85.7-0.4%
46Phillips County66.5+0.8%
47Ouray County63-5.2%
48Saguache County61.6+3.1%
49Huerfano County61+12.5%
50Washington County56.4+2.2%
51Conejos County50+5.4%
52Crowley County47.2+3.4%
53Bent County42.4+3.2%
54Baca County42.2+4.3%
55Cheyenne County33.1+0.9%
56Custer County32.7+6.7%
57Sedgwick County29+0.3%
58Costilla County27.3+8.6%
59Kiowa County23.2+7.2%
60Jackson County19.5+6%
61Dolores County18.9-57.6%
62Mineral County18+4.8%
63Hinsdale County9.1+3.8%
64San Juan County8.9+10.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.

Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.

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 Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. 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 Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in Colorado by wages and salaries paid, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip

MLA 9

CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Colorado by wages and salaries paid, 2016. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/colorado-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in Colorado by wages and salaries paid, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/colorado-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Colorado by wages and salaries paid, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/colorado-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_colorado_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Colorado by wages and salaries paid, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/colorado-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Colorado by wages and salaries paid, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/colorado-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/colorado-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Denver County, with $34.56 billion in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

San Juan County, with $8.87 million in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Wages and salaries paid: other rankings

Counties in Colorado: more rankings