Where Colorado Is (and Isn’t) Growing

Colorado has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade — enough to justify the establishment of a new congressional district, the state’s eighth. These gains haven’t been equally distributed, however. Colorado’s population rose by an incredible 14.8 percent from 2010 to 2020, with the biggest growth in the percentage of housing units — a key indicator of expansion — along the Front Range, but not always in expected places. Moreover, the number of housing units actually fell in nearly half of Colorado’s counties over that ten-year period.

These are among the revelations in statistics released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey’s population and housing data for Colorado confirms that, as anticipated, Denver saw the state’s largest increase in housing units by number, going up by 59,183 between 2010 and 2020. But Denver County actually finished fourth when it comes to percentage change in housing units over that span.

Denver’s robust bump of 20.7 percent is barely half of the change registered by Broomfield County, which spiked by a stunning 38.2 percent from 2010 to 2020. Using this measure, Denver was also bested by Douglas County (26.9 percent) and Weld County (24.6 percent).

The state’s top ten counties for percentage change in housing units are all located along the urban corridor. The roster’s first county from western Colorado is La Plata, anchored by Durango, whose housing units increased by 9 percent during the decade. Twenty-eight of Colorado’s 64 counties actually saw a decline in the number of overall housing units. The mostly rural municipalities range from Clear Creek County, whose housing unit total dipped by 0.2 percent in the 2010-2020 period, to Baca County, which saw its number of units tumble by 12.3 percent.

Yes, Colorado is growing fast — but boom times aren’t happening everywhere.

Here are all 64 Colorado counties, ranked by percent change in housing units between 2010 and 2020:

1. Broomfield County
Housing units 2020: 31,298
Housing units 2010: 22,646
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 8,652
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 38.2 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 5.2 percent

2. Douglas County
Housing units 2020: 135,643
Housing units 2010: 106,859
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 28,784
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 26.9 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 4.3 percent

3. Weld County
Housing units 2020: 119,962
Housing units 2010: 96,281
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 23,681
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 24.6 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 5.0 percent

4. Denver County
Housing units 2020: 344,980
Housing units 2010: 285,797
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 59,183
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 20.7 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 8.0 percent

5. Larimer County
Housing units 2020: 158,769
Housing units 2010: 132,722
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 26,047
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 19.6 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 9.1 percent

6. Adams County
Housing units 2020: 186,544
Housing units 2010: 163,136
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 23,408
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 14.3 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 4.3 percent

7. El Paso County
Housing units 2020: 287,459
Housing units 2010: 252,852
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 34,607
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 13.7 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 5.1 percent

8. Boulder County
Housing units 2020: 140,848
Housing units 2010: 127,071
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 13,777
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 10.8 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 5.9 percent

9. Arapahoe County
Housing units 2020: 262,493
Housing units 2010: 238,301
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 24,192
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 10.2 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 4.7 percent

10. Elbert County
Housing units 2020: 9,805
Housing units 2010: 8,939
Numeric change in housing units 2010-2020: 866
Percent change in housing units 2010-2020: 9.7 percent
Housing unit vacancy rate 2020: 4.4 percent

11. La Plata County: +9.0 percent
12. Chaffee County: +9.0 percent
13. Archuleta County: +8.4 percent
14. Jefferson County: +8.0 percent
15. Alamosa County: +7.8 percent
16. Mesa County: +7.6 percent
17. Ouray County: +7.5 percent
18. Gunnison County: +6.3 percent
19. Custer County: +5.5 percent
20. Teller County: +5.3 percent
21. Eagle County: +5.3 percent
22. Fremont County: +5.2 percent
23. Summit County: +5.0 percent
24. Montrose County: +3.8 percent
25. Grand County: +3.6 percent
26. Pueblo County: +3.5 percent
27. Garfield County: +3.4 percent
28. San Juan County: +3.0 percent
29. Pitkin County: +2.3 percent
30. Montezuma County: +1.7 percent
31. Delta County: +1.4 percent
32. Routt County: +1.3 percent
33. Park County: +1.2 percent
34. Mineral County: +1.2 percent
35. Lake County: +0.7 percent
36. Morgan County: 0.0 percent
37. Clear Creek County: -0.2 percent
38. Rio Blanco County: -1.1 percent
39. Gilpin County: -1.2 percent
40. San Miguel County: -1.3 percent
41. Rio Grande County: -1.6 percent
42. Moffat County: -1.7 percent
43. Las Animas County: -1.7 percent
44. Lincoln County: -2.6 percent
45. Saguache County: -2.7 percent
46. Otero County: -2.8 percent
47. Phillips County: -3.0 percent
48. Crowley County: -3.2 percent
49. Kit Carson County: -3.3 percent
50. Yuma County: -3.4 percent
51. Logan County: -3.5 percent
52. Hinsdale County: -4.3 percent
53. Bent County: -4.7 percent
54. Sedgwick County: -5.1 percent
55. Cheyenne County: -5.1 percent
56. Washington County: -6.5 percent
57. Conejos County: -6.7 percent
58. Costilla County: -7.3 percent
59. Jackson County: -7.5 percent
60. Huerfano County: -7.8 percent
61. Prowers County: -8.5 percent
62. Kiowa County: -8.6 percent
63. Dolores County: -10.1 percent
64. Baca County: -12.3 percent