Colorado's population and the people who live there

Colorado's population of 6,012,561 on July 1, 2025 is the highest ever recorded for the state and is larger than every bordering state (Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming). Colorado holds 1.76%¹ of the US population. These figures cover the whole state; the site does not publish data for Denver, Colorado Springs or other cities and counties.

Six million residents and a House seat gained

The first census to count the area of today's Colorado, in 1860, found 34,277 people, ranking 39th of 44 among present-day states with a count that year. The state slipped in the ranking between 1900 and 1950, then climbed at every census after 1950: it ranked 34th of 51 in 1950, 26th of 51⁹ in 1990 and 21st of 51⁶ in 2020. Colorado now has 4.5 times¹ as many people as in 1950.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Colorado
1860	34,277
1870	39,864
1880	194,327
1890	413,249
1900	539,700
1910	799,024
1920	939,629
1930	1,035,791
1940	1,123,296
1950	1,325,089
1960	1,753,947
1970	2,207,259
1980	2,889,964
1990	3,294,394
2000	4,301,261
2010	5,029,196
2020	5,773,714
2021	5,814,368
2022	5,853,355
2023	5,912,240
2024	5,988,502
2025	6,012,561

Growth in the 2010s was fast by national standards: 14.8% between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, the 6th highest rate and 7.4 percentage points above the US figure (7.4%)⁶. After the 2020 Census Colorado gained a seat in the House of Representatives (+1, to 8¹⁰).

Since 2020 the pace has slowed. Colorado has added 237,235 residents since April 2020, the 15th highest growth rate at 4.11%. In the single year to July 2025 its growth rate of 0.40% was 0.1 percentage points below the US figure (0.52%)¹.

2025: the year departures to other states exceeded arrivals

Between July 2024 and June 2025, Colorado's net domestic migration was −12,100: more people moved from the state to the rest of the country than moved in. In each of the four previous years the balance had been positive: 6,200 in the year to June 2021, 5,425 in 2022, 6,008 in 2023 and 4,995 in 2024. Colorado was one of 19 states, plus the District of Columbia, that lost more residents to other states than they gained in the year to June 2025, and its balance was lower than every bordering state (Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming)¹.

Relative to population, the loss was −2.0 per 1,000 residents, the 10th lowest rate in the country. The 2025 loss erased part of the earlier gains: counted from April 2020, the state's net gain from other states is now 17,729¹.

Connecticut−1.6

Maryland−1.9

Colorado−2.0

Louisiana−3.1

Illinois−3.2

New Jersey−3.9

Massachusetts−4.7

California−5.8

District of Columbia−6.0

Alaska−6.1

Hawaii−6.2

New York−6.9

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.

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State	Net domestic migration rate per 1,000
Connecticut	−1.6
Maryland	−1.9
Colorado	−2.0
Louisiana	−3.1
Illinois	−3.2
New Jersey	−3.9
Massachusetts	−4.7
California	−5.8
District of Columbia	−6.0
Alaska	−6.1
Hawaii	−6.2
New York	−6.9

Arrivals from abroad fell at the same time. Net international migration dropped from 53,313 in the year to June 2024 to 15,356 in the year to June 2025. Taken together, net migration from all sources shrank from 58,308 to 3,256, 85% below the US figure (3.7 per 1,000 residents)¹ when measured per resident.

Births now carry the growth

With net migration small, natural change did most of the work in 2025. Colorado recorded 65,380 births and 44,772 deaths in the year to June 2025, a natural increase of 20,608, the 7th highest of any state. Births were up from 62,517 the year before, while deaths were almost unchanged at 44,713¹.

This is not a sign of large families. The total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman would have at current birth rates, was 1.49 in 2024, 7% below the US figure (1.60) and the 13th lowest¹¹ among the states. Births per resident are close to the national level (10.9 per 1,000 residents, 3% above the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents)). The difference is on the other side of the ledger: deaths per resident, at 7.5 per 1,000 residents, are 18% below the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents). As a result, the rate of natural increase, 3.4 per 1,000 residents, is tied for 4th highest among the 50 states¹.

Where Colorado's movers come from and go

The Census Bureau's survey of individual movers, which covers a different period and has wide margins of error, also shows a net loss. In 2024, 181,683 people moved to Colorado from other states (±11,897) and 206,674 moved out (±12,493). The net of −24,991 carries a margin of error of ±17,252¹², so the size of the loss is uncertain, though the whole range is below zero.

Moved to Colorado from

Texas27,574 ±4,594

California19,717 ±3,479

Florida12,564 ±3,529

Arizona9,762 ±2,707

Virginia8,039 ±4,554

Washington6,188 ±1,802

New Mexico5,593 ±1,771

North Carolina5,537 ±2,093

Left Colorado for

Texas22,986 ±4,909

California15,781 ±3,397

Arizona10,284 ±2,531

Washington9,980 ±3,014

Florida9,951 ±2,110

New York7,985 ±3,618

Missouri7,388 ±2,551

North Carolina7,031 ±2,178

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Texas	27,574 ±4,594	22,986 ±4,909
California	19,717 ±3,479	15,781 ±3,397
Florida	12,564 ±3,529	9,951 ±2,110
Arizona	9,762 ±2,707	10,284 ±2,531
Virginia	8,039 ±4,554	–
Washington	6,188 ±1,802	9,980 ±3,014
New Mexico	5,593 ±1,771	–
North Carolina	5,537 ±2,093	7,031 ±2,178
New York	–	7,985 ±3,618
Missouri	–	7,388 ±2,551

Tax returns tell an older story. Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Colorado gained 7,288 more filers and dependents than it lost, and arriving households reported $715 million more income than departing ones, tied for 10th highest¹³ among the states.

Colorado is also a state where people move often. Only 84.9% of residents lived in the same home a year earlier (±0.5 percentage points), 3.5 percentage points below the US figure (88.4%) and the 2nd lowest share in the country (rank range between 48th and 50th¹⁴). Decades of arrivals show up in birthplaces: 41.4% of residents were born in Colorado, while 46.3% were born in another state, 19.3 percentage points above the US figure (27.0%). The Midwest is the most common birthplace region among them, at 15.1% of all residents, followed by the West (13.3%) and the South (11.6%¹⁵).

Hispanic Coloradans

In 2025, 24.1% of Coloradans were Hispanic or Latino, 3.6 percentage points above the US figure (20.5%) and up from 23.2% in 2024². The share has risen in most years since 2009, from 20.3%¹⁶ that year. In the Census Bureau's population estimates for July 1, 2025, Colorado has the 7th highest Hispanic share of any state and is higher than Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming; lower than New Mexico¹⁷.

New Mexico49.4%

California41.2%

Texas40.9%

Arizona32.5%

Nevada31.2%

Florida29.2%

Colorado24.1%

New Jersey24.0%

New York21.0%

Connecticut19.9%

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	Hispanic or Latino
New Mexico	49.4%
California	41.2%
Texas	40.9%
Arizona	32.5%
Nevada	31.2%
Florida	29.2%
Colorado	24.1%
New Jersey	24.0%
New York	21.0%
Connecticut	19.9%

Colorado's Hispanic population is mostly of Mexican origin. People of Mexican origin make up 15.8% of all residents, 4.5 percentage points above the US figure (11.3%) and the 6th highest share. Every other origin group is smaller than in the country as a whole: Central Americans are 1.0%, South Americans 1.0% and Puerto Ricans 0.7%¹⁸.

Spanish is the language of home for 11.4% of residents aged 5 and older, the 13th highest¹⁹ share. Of those Spanish speakers, 34.6%²⁰ report speaking English less than "very well".

White, Black, Asian and Native residents

Non-Hispanic white residents are the majority, at 61.6% in 2025 (±0.2 percentage points), 6.6 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%). That share is down from 63.6% in 2024. Non-Hispanic Black residents make up 3.9%, 7.8 percentage points below the US figure (11.7%), and non-Hispanic Asian residents 3.7%². Counting everyone who reports a race in combination with another, 6.0%²¹ of residents are Black and 5.8%²² Asian.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic61.6% 83.4%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)24.1%

Two or more races, not Hispanic5.5%

Black, not Hispanic3.9% 6.0%

Asian, not Hispanic3.7% 5.8%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.5% 4.0%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.5%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.2% 0.5%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	61.6%	±0.2	83.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	24.1%		–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.5%	±0.2	–
Black, not Hispanic	3.9%	±0.1	6.0%
Asian, not Hispanic	3.7%	±0.1	5.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.5%	±0.1	4.0%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.5%	±0.1	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.2%		0.5%

Multiracial answers are common. 16.6% of Coloradans reported two or more races in 2025, the 8th highest²⁴ share. The largest combination by far is white and "some other race", reported by 10.6%²³ of residents.

The largest Asian groups are Asian Indian (47,583 people), Chinese (35,084) and Vietnamese (31,521²⁵). American Indian and Alaska Native residents, alone or in combination, are 4.0% of the population, 0.8 percentage points above the US figure (3.2%)²⁶. At the 2020 Census the most common tribal responses were Cherokee, Navajo Nation and Aztec, a Latin American Indian group; among people reporting one tribe only, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation²⁷ also appear in the top ten.

A large state with a concentrated population

Colorado covers 103,637 square miles of land, the 8th largest area of any state, and only 0.4% of its total area is water, the 3rd lowest²⁸ share. Its density of 58.0 people per square mile ranks tied for 14th least densely populated, 40% below the US figure (96.7 people per square mile)²⁹. Yet most residents live in towns and cities: 86.0% lived in urban areas at the 2020 Census, 6.0 percentage points above the US figure (80.0%) and higher than Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming; lower than Utah³⁰.

The largest working-age share of any state

Colorado's age structure is unusual. Residents aged 18 to 64 make up 62.6% of the population, the highest of any state (the District of Columbia is higher). The total dependency ratio, children and residents 65 and older per 100 people of working age, is 59.8, the lowest of any state (the District of Columbia is lower) and lower than every bordering state (Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming)¹⁷.

District of Columbia 46.0South Dakota 75.2

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each dot is a state. Period: July 1, 2025.

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State	Total dependency ratio, 2025
South Dakota	75.2
Delaware	74.2
Montana	73.6
Wyoming	73.3
Hawaii	73.3
Iowa	73.3
West Virginia	72.5
Nebraska	72.4
Idaho	72.2
Maine	71.9
Kansas	71.8
New Mexico	71.7
Florida	71.6
South Carolina	71.5
Mississippi	71.3
Arizona	71.1
Louisiana	71.0
Arkansas	70.8
Ohio	70.7
Missouri	70.4
Wisconsin	70.2
Oklahoma	70.1
Pennsylvania	69.8
Minnesota	69.8
Vermont	69.8
Indiana	69.6
Alabama	69.4
Kentucky	69.2
Michigan	69.1
North Dakota	68.9
New Hampshire	67.5
Tennessee	67.1
Oregon	66.7
North Carolina	66.7
Connecticut	66.3
Maryland	65.8
New Jersey	64.9
Virginia	64.9
Illinois	64.7
Utah	64.1
Alaska	64.1
Nevada	63.7
Georgia	63.5
Texas	63.5
New York	63.5
Washington	63.1
Rhode Island	63.0
Massachusetts	62.4
California	62.1
Colorado	59.8
District of Columbia	46.0

The state is younger than the nation but aging. The median age is 38.1 years (±0.2 years), 1.4 years below the US figure (39.5 years)³, up from 34.7 years¹⁶ in 2005. Residents 65 and older are 17.1% of the population, up from 15.1% in 2020. Their number, 1,029,188, is up from 874,044 in 2020. Over the same years the number of children under 18 fell: 1,220,203 in 2025, down from 1,269,324 in 2020¹⁷.

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

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Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	2.72	2.57	2.76	2.65
5-9	2.79	2.69	2.96	2.83
10-14	2.96	2.84	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.26	3.05	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.52	3.23	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.92	3.72	3.46	3.37
30-34	4.20	3.86	3.41	3.38
35-39	4.00	3.72	3.38	3.40
40-44	3.62	3.43	3.21	3.27
45-49	3.12	3.03	2.93	3.03
50-54	2.87	2.80	2.83	2.96
55-59	2.71	2.71	2.86	3.02
60-64	2.69	2.86	2.96	3.21
65-69	2.56	2.81	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.16	2.44	2.26	2.64
75-79	1.62	1.86	1.71	2.08
80-84	0.88	1.12	1.00	1.32
85+	0.65	1.01	0.78	1.28

Men slightly outnumber women. The American Community Survey counts 101.0 males per 100 females (±0.4), the 7th highest³¹ ratio among the states, while nationally women are the majority.

High incomes, among the highest home prices

The median household income of $99,729 in 2025 (±$1,273) is $14,949 (18%) above the US figure ($84,780) and not statistically different from $99,668 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)⁴. Households with $200,000 or more make up 18.8%, 4.0 percentage points above the US figure (14.8%), while those below $25,000 are 11.0%, the 7th lowest³² share.

ColoradoUnited States

Under $25,00011.0% 14.0%

$25,000–$49,99912.5% 15.4%

$50,000–$99,99926.6% 27.8%

$100,000–$199,99931.1% 28.0%

$200,000 or more18.8% 14.8%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B19001. Share of households in each band of income in the past 12 months, in 2025 dollars.

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Household income	Colorado	MOE	United States
Under $25,000	11.0%	±0.5	14.0%
$25,000–$49,999	12.5%	±0.5	15.4%
$50,000–$99,999	26.6%	±0.7	27.8%
$100,000–$199,999	31.1%	±0.7	28.0%
$200,000 or more	18.8%	±0.5	14.8%

Poverty is low. The official poverty rate of 9.2% is 2.6 percentage points below the US figure (11.8%), tied for 7th lowest among the states. Child poverty, at 10.0%, is down from 11.5% in 2024⁵.

Housing is where Colorado is expensive. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts overall prices at 103.1 for 2024 (US = 100), 3% above the US figure (100.0), but the index for housing rents is 127.4, the 5th most expensive in the country, while goods cost 1% below the US figure (99.6). The median home value, $567,600, is $196,500 (53%) above the US figure ($371,100) and the 6th most expensive, although it is down from $589,719 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)³⁴. Median gross rent is $1,839, $282 (18%) above the US figure ($1,557)³⁵. After adjusting for state price levels, personal income per person was $65,223 in 2024, the 8th highest³³.

The housing stock is young: 20.6% of homes were built in 2010 or later, 5.7 percentage points above the US figure (14.9%)³⁶. Among homeowners with a mortgage, 34.5% are cost-burdened by the standard federal measure, spending a large part of their income on mortgage and other owner costs, 3.8 percentage points above the US figure (30.7%)³⁷.

Degrees and working from home

Nearly half of adults hold a bachelor's degree. In 2025, 47.1% of residents aged 25 and older had a bachelor's degree or higher (±0.6 percentage points), the 3rd highest share and 9.7 percentage points above the US figure (37.4%). In 2005 the figure was 35.5%¹⁶. Graduate or professional degrees are held by 18.4%, 3.4 percentage points above the US figure (15.0%)³⁸.

The schools tell a different story. The public high school graduation rate, the share of students who finish within four years of starting 9th grade, was 82% in the 2021–2022 school year, 5.0 percentage points below the US figure (87%) and tied for 7th lowest³⁹ among the states with data. The degree share measures adults living in Colorado wherever they studied, so it includes the many residents born in other states.

Colorado workers are more likely to work from home than in any other state: 18.8% did so in 2025, the highest of any state (the District of Columbia is higher). The share is down from 19.9% in 2024⁴⁰. Labor force participation averaged 67.2% in 2025, the 9th highest, and unemployment 4.0%, 0.3 percentage points below the US figure (4.3%)⁴¹.

Colorado18.8% ±0.4

Utah14.9% ±0.5

United States12.9% ±0.1

Wyoming11.6% ±1.2

Kansas10.2% ±0.5

New Mexico10.1% ±0.7

Nebraska8.9% ±0.5

Oklahoma8.7% ±0.3

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B08301. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error. Period: 2025.

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State	Worked from home	MOE
Colorado	18.8%	±0.4
Utah	14.9%	±0.5
United States	12.9%	±0.1
Wyoming	11.6%	±1.2
Kansas	10.2%	±0.5
New Mexico	10.1%	±0.7
Nebraska	8.9%	±0.5
Oklahoma	8.7%	±0.3

Health: the lowest obesity rate

In the 2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 25.0% of Colorado adults reported a height and weight that put them in the obese range, the lowest of the 49 states and DC with published data (9.2 percentage points below the US figure (34.2%)⁴², where the US figure is the median of the states). The share of residents with a disability, 11.9%, is the 5th lowest⁴³. Life expectancy at birth was 78.5 years in 2022, 11th longest⁴⁴ among the states.

Two measures run the other way. The drug overdose death rate in 2024 was 25.7 per 100,000, age-adjusted, 11% above the US figure (23.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted)⁴⁵. And 8.8% of residents had no health insurance in 2025, 0.4 percentage points above the US figure (8.4%) and up from 7.9% in 2024⁴⁶.

Immigrants and ancestry

An estimated 624,448 Colorado residents (±24,483) were born abroad, 10.4% of the population, 4.3 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). The largest group, 52.4%, was born in Latin America, not statistically different from the US figure (50.3%). Compared with immigrants nationwide, a larger share came from Europe (12.1%) and Africa (7.8%) and a smaller share from Asia (23.8%¹⁵).

The most common ancestries reported in 2025 were German (16.0% of residents), English (11.2%) and Irish (10.7%⁴⁷).

Households, veterans and homelessness

The average household has 2.37 people, 5% below the US figure (2.49)⁴⁸. The marriage rate in 2024 was 8.1 per 1,000 residents, the 6th highest⁴⁹ among the states. Families headed by a woman with no spouse present make up 8.6% of households, the 8th lowest⁵⁰ share.

Veterans make up 7.0% of adults, 1.1 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%)⁵¹. Of Colorado's veterans, 37.7% served after September 2001, 6.3 percentage points above the US figure (31.4%)⁵².

On one night in January 2025, 16,687 people were experiencing homelessness in Colorado, 27.8 per 10,000 residents and the 11th highest rate. That count was down from 18,715 a year earlier, and 30.4% were unsheltered, 5.3 percentage points below the US figure (35.7%)⁵³.