Introduction

On December 7th, the Census Bureau released the 2018-2022 American Community Survey. This dataset contains population characteristics for census block groups, census tracts, municipalities, counties, and states. This data provides a rich picture of Colorado educational attainment, income, housing, and work location, among other social characteristics.

It is important to note the ACS 5-year estimates are not designed to measure rapid change during short periods because the data come from a 5-year period. The most appropriate comparison for the 2018-2022 ACS release is the 2013-2017 ACS or prior years as they do not include overlapping years. Dollar values are in real or inflation adjusted values for the last year of the 5 year series (2022 for the 2018-2022 series)

The ACS 5-year data SHOULD NOT be used for total population estimates since it is based on 5 years of data. Please visit the State Demography Office Homepage for population estimates and forecasts.

The ACS provides over 1,400 tables containing information about the characteristics and conditions of the population ranging from place of birth, geographic mobility, transportation, commuting and educational attainment. To view the ACS list of tables and variables as well as several common tables collected by the Colorado State Demography Office please visit the State Demography Office ACS Page.

Income and Poverty

State Results

• Median household income increased between the 2013-2017 ACS and the 2018-2022 ACS. In inflation-adjusted dollars, median household income increased from $78,400 to $87,600.
• The percentage of people in poverty fell between the 2013-2017 ACS and 2018-2022 ACS.
• The number of people with incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty level in the 2013-2017 ACS was 612,000, or 11.5 percent, while it was 540,000, or 10 percent in the 2018-2022 ACS.
The number of people with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level in the 2013-2017 ACS was 853,000, or 16 percent, while it was 767,000, or 13.6 percent in the 2018-2022 ACS.

Housing Ownership and Renting and Housing Costs

State Results

• The home ownership rate for Colorado rose by 1.5 percentage points from 64.7 percent in the 2013-2017 ACS to 66.2 percent in the 2018-2022 ACS and owner-occupied households increased by nearly 160,000.
• Housing value and housing costs increased, in inflation-adjusted dollars, in this five year time frame between the 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 ACS.
• The median home value of owner-occupied housing units increased from to $334,6000 to $465,900
• The number of owner-occupied housing units with a mortgage decreased from 72 to 70 percent
• The median monthly mortgage costs for owner-occupied housing units with a mortgage increased from $1,944 to $2,109, and
• The median monthly gross rent increased from $1,125 to $1,594.
• The percentage of home owners paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs remained the same between 2013-2017 ACS and 2018-2022 ACS at 23 percent. The percentage of renters paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs increased from 48.5 percent in the 2013-2017 ACS to 49.5 percent in the 2018-2022 ACS.

• The median gross rent increased between the 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 ACS in 21 counties, decreased in three counties (Baca, Delta and San Juan counties), and remained statistically unchanged in the rest of the counties. The median increase, in 2022 dollars, was slightly over $240. The smallest monthly increase, $68, was in Douglas County, while the largest increase, just under $500, was in Lake County.
• The percentage of home owners paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs increased in two counties (Arapahoe and Morgan counties) and decreased in eight counties (Alamosa, Broomfield, Custer, Jefferson, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Grande counties) and remained statistically unchanged in the rest of the counties. The percentage of renters paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs increased in five counties (Adams, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Douglas, and Weld counties) and decreased in four counties (Larimer, Logan, Mesa, and San Miguel counties) and remained statistically unchanged in the rest of the counties.

Percentage of people working from home

State Results

The 2018-2022 ACS includes data for the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic. The percentage of persons who report working from home more than doubled, compared to the pre-pandemic 2013-2017 ACS. In the 2013-2017 ACS 7.4 percent of people age 16 and older reported working from home. In the 2018-2022 ACS 16.5 percent of people age 16 and older reported working from home.

• The largest two were in Hinsdale and San Juan counties, at more than 200 percent. It is important to note that these two counties are small and these large percentage increases reflect the changes in work location for relatively few people. For example, in San Juan County 8 people reported working from home in the 2013-2017 ACS, compared to 61 in the 2018-2022 ACS.
• In the front-range counties (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Pueblo, Teller and Weld counties) the average percentage of persons reporting working at in the 2018-2022 ACS was 17 percent. The largest percentage was in Douglas County (24 percent) and the smallest percentages was in Pueblo County (6 percent). Twenty-one percent of persons in Denver County reported working from home in the 2018-2022 ACS.

Educational Attainment

State Results

• For Colorado, the percentage of people age 25 and older reporting graduating from High School or earning a higher degree increased from 91.1 percent in 2013-2017 to 92.5 percent in 2018-2022
• The percentage of people age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher degree increased from 39.4 percent in the 2013-2017 ACS to 45.7 percent in the 2018-2022 ACS. In both the 2013-2017 ACS and the 2018-2022 ACS, the percentage of persons with at least a bachelor’s degree was second highest in the nation.
• In the 2018-2022 ACS, the percentage of current residents born in Colorado with a bachelor’s degree was 34.1 percent increasing from 30 percent in the 2013-2017 ACS. Colorado ranks fifth in the country for the share of the population born in state of residence with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• For Colorado residents born in another state, the share with a bachelor’s degree or higher is 51 percent increasing from 47 percent in the 2017 5-year ACS. Colorado ranks eighth in the country for the share of its population born in a different state with a bachelor’s degree.
• There is a significant difference in the share of the population with a bachelor’s degree or higher based on place of birth. This is consistent across the US. For the US, those living in the state of birth, 30.9 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to those living outside the state of birth, 43.6 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

County Results

• The percentage of people age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher degree increased in 30 counties between the 2013-2017 ACS and the 2018-2022 ACS. The largest percentage increases were seen in Bent, Lincoln, Mineral and Washington counties, each of which saw the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher increase by more than 46 percent.
Boulder, Pitkin, San Miguel, and Douglas all have more than 60 percent of their population with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

The Census Bureau has posted an a collection of ACS Narrative Profiles highlighting key results from the 2018-2022 ACS as well the 2018-2022 ACS press release.

SDO has produced a set of county and place spreadhseets using the 2018-2022 ACS. and has updated its SDO Census API.

Please contact the SDO team if you have any questions about the population of Colorado.