ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Jefferson County, Colorado

FIPS 08059 · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO · Population 579,377
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$110,656
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.8%
Unemployment
4% national
$46.2B
GDP
52%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$110,656
Per Capita
$60,827
Mean Household
$142,995
Poverty Rate
6.7%
Median Income Comparison
Jefferson County$110,656
Colorado$95,470
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 17.9% (103,643 residents) 55-64: 13.2% (76,624 residents) 35-54: 27.6% (159,907 residents) 18-34: 22.8% (132,233 residents) Under 18: 18.5% (106,970 residents) 40 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 18.5%
18-34 · 22.8%
35-54 · 27.6%
55-64 · 13.2%
65+ · 17.9%
Race & Ethnicity
White79.5%
Black or African American1.2%
Asian2.9%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)16.1%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
95.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +6.2 pts
52%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +16.3 pts
19.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +5.2 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
579,377
Population
336,633
Labor Force
Employed
323,076
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.8% ▼ 0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute
26.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
25.4%
Key Takeaways
  • Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
  • Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 16.3 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$46.2B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Jefferson County, Colorado, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
32,448 17.3%
$69,441
2Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
29,509 15.7%
$130,064
3Retail Trade
27,920 14.9%
$46,422
4Accommodation and Food Services
24,611 13.1%
$33,100
5Manufacturing
19,566 10.4%
$125,130
6Construction
17,699 9.4%
$88,534
7Administrative and Support and Waste Management
12,199 6.5%
$61,533
8Other Services (except Public Administration)
8,481 4.5%
$57,242
9Wholesale Trade
7,846 4.2%
$152,646
10Finance and Insurance
7,722 4.1%
$116,668
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 32,448 workers (17.3% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $69,441.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $46.2B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $152,646 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $33,100, a 4.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets
4.29x
149
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
3.63x
1,891
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
3.11x
3,020
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles
2.11x
113
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
1.73x
29,509
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
1.68x
1,103
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.65x
3,870
Specialty Trade Contractors
1.51x
12,444

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
29,509
Cluster Employment
1.73x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets
4.29x 149
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
3.63x 1,891
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
3.11x 3,020
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles
2.11x 113
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
1.73x 29,509
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
1.68x 1,103
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.65x 3,870
Specialty Trade Contractors
1.51x 12,444

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.08x
Wood Product Manufacturing
50 employed
0.10x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
60 employed
0.10x
Warehousing and Storage
296 employed
0.11x
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
58 employed
0.17x
Food Manufacturing
467 employed
0.21x
Truck Transportation
496 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets concentrates at 4.29x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
  • Cluster depth: 8 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Jefferson County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$637,600
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,861
Rent/Mo
70.7%
Owner-Occ
4.7%
Vacancy
5.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Stretched
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,643/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,754/mo
2 Bedroom
$2,089/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,734/mo
4 Bedroom
$3,049/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,766/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • Stretched market: Home value to income ratio of 5.8x is well above the ~4.1x national average; attainable workforce housing may be a recruitment friction.
  • High home ownership: 70.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,766/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
368,764
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
25.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
87.1%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 71.3% of working-age population (18-64) 71% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
52%
HS Diploma+
95.8%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
40,234/yr
University of Colorado Boulder 9,646/yr
Colorado State University-Fort Collins 7,956/yr
Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs 7,631/yr
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus 5,700/yr
Front Range Community College 5,675/yr
Metropolitan State University of Denver 3,626/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
53.7%
Service
13.4%
Sales & Office
18.7%
Construction / Maint.
6.8%
Production / Transport
7.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 323,076 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 25,233 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Jefferson County shows meaningful potential for lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets attraction, with a 4.29x concentration and 149 jobs in this sub-sector.

The interconnected base across lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing, and miscellaneous manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Jefferson County, Colorado, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Jefferson County, Colorado?

579,377 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Jefferson County, Colorado?

$110,656 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Jefferson County, Colorado?

3.8% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Jefferson County, Colorado?

$46.2B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).