Population and Demographics

Denver has more than doubled in population since 1960. In the most recent census, the City & County of Denver had a population of 554,636 in 2000.. The six-county metro area has a population of 2.4 million. Denver’s metro population has increased by 29.8% since 1990. In 2000 Denver was the 20th largest metro area in America, and has the 10th largest downtown area. All of Colorado is experiencing a population boom with over 1,000,000 people moving to the state in the last decade. Colorado’s population grew 30.5% from 1990 to 2000 with a current total of 4,301,261 residents. It was the third fastest growing state in the last decade. The city is continuing to grow at a rapid rate as more and more people discover this diamond in the Plains.

• Highest Educated City: Denver is the most educated city in the U.S. Denver has the greatest percentage of high school and college graduates of any major metropolitan area in the U.S.; 92.1% of the population in the metro area have high school diplomas and 35% have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Census. The national average is 81.7% for high school diplomas and 23% with a college degree.

• Baby Boomer Capital: Denver also is the nation’s baby boomer capital, with the highest percentage of boomers of any major city. One third of the city is between age 35 and 54. Including small cities, only two had a higher percentage than Denver — Santa Fe and Anchorage. Among major cities, percentage of boomers is: Denver 32.8%; Seattle 31.5%; Atlanta 31.4%; Washington 31.4%; Portland OR 31.4%; San Francisco 30.8%.
• Healthy City: Denver is also the “thinnest” city in America, and Colorado is tied as the “thinnest” state with Hawaii. A federal report declared that half of American adults have a weight problem, but Colorado is the exception with less than 20% of Colorado adults being overweight. The active lifestyle in Denver, the great weather, the abundance of recreational opportunities and the high education level are credited for this fact.

Denver Population Breakdown:

Males: 302,472	(50.5%)
Females: 296,235	(49.5%)

Median resident age:	33.1 years
Colorado median age:	34.3 years

Estimated median household income in 2008: $45,831 (it was $39,500 in 2000)

Denver:	$45,831
Colorado:	$56,993

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $30,557

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $246,500 (it was $160,100 in 2000)

Denver:	$246,500
Colorado:	$242,200

Races in Denver:

White Non-Hispanic (51.9%)

Cost of living index in Denver:
101.7 (near average, U.S. average is 100)