Called the "Centennial State," because it became the 38th state when the U.S. turned 100 in 1876, Colorado is most closely associated with the Rocky Mountains and has numerous peaks over 14,000 feet. The state's name comes from a Spanish word meaning "red" or "ruddy," the color of much of the state's terrain. Today, Colorado is known for its vast cattle ranges, agricultural acreage, and snow-covered mountains that are ideal for winter sports. Its capital is Denver and state flower is the Rocky Mountain columbine.
State Flower: Rocky Mountain Columbine
State Motto: Nothing Without Providence
State Nickname: Centennial State
State Bird: Lark Bunting
Land area, 2000 (square miles): 103,717.53
Length: 380 Miles
Width: 280 Miles
10 largest cities, 2010:
- Denver, 600,158
- Colorado Springs, 416,427
- Aurora, 325,078
- Fort Collins, 143,986
- Lakewood, 142,980
- Thornton, 118,772
- Pueblo, 106,595
- Arvada, 106,433
- Westminster, 106,114
- Centennial, 100,377
Geographic Center: 30 miles northwest of Pikes Peak
Geographic Center County: Park
Highest Point: 14,433 ft. — Mt. Elbert
Lowest Point: 3,350 ft. — Arkansas River
Number of counties: 63
State forests: 1 (71,000 ac.)
State parks: 40 (215,000 ac.)
Persons per square mile, 2010: 48.5
People QuickFacts: Colorado
Population, 2010: 5,029,196
Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010: 16.90%
Population, 2000: 4,302,015
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009: 7.30%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009: 24.40%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009: 10.60%
Female persons, percent, 2009: 49.60%
White persons, percent, 2010 (a): 81.30%
Black persons, percent, 2010 (a): 4.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2010 (a): 1.10%
Asian persons, percent, 2010 (a): 2.80%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2010 (a): 0.10%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2010: 3.40%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2010 (b): 20.70%
White persons not Hispanic, persons, 2010: 70.00%
Living in same house 1 year ago, pct 1 yr old & over, 2005-2009: 80.10%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2005-2009: 9.80%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2005-2009: 16.60%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2005-2009: 88.90%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2005-2009: 35.50%
Veterans, 2005-2009: 411,402
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2005-2009: 24.1
Housing units, 2009: 2,167,850
Homeownership rate, 2005-2009: 68.20%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2005-2009: 25.20%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2005-2009: $234,100
Households, 2005-2009: 1,869,276
Persons per household, 2005-2009: 2.53
Per capita money income in past 12 months (2009 dollars) 2005-2009: $29,679
Median household income, 2009: $55,735
Persons below poverty level, percent, 2009: 12.60%
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
D: Suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information
F: Fewer than 100 firms
FN: Footnote on this item for this area in place of data
NA: Not available
S: Suppressed; does not meet publication standards
X: Not applicable
Z: Value greater than zero but less than half unit of measure shown
GDP Data — Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis
Population and Economic Data — US Census Bureau
Government Data — Congress.Org
