Colorado Population Growth Slows to 23,725
Births outpaced deaths while net migration added only 3,000 residents in the year ending July 1, 2025.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Employment
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Colorado's population grew by 23,725 residents in the year ending July 1, 2025, reaching 6,011,146, a slowdown in the state's growth. The state also lost 4,898 jobs in 2025, its first job losses outside a national recession since 2001.
Why it matters
Growth slowed because births outpaced deaths while net migration contributed just 3,000 residents, leaving Colorado's population expansion dependent on natural increase. For Colorado residents, the slowdown and job losses come as the state faces a persistent housing shortage and rising costs for homebuyers.
Colorado's population reached 6,011,146 as of July 1, 2025, with births exceeding deaths by more than 20,000 and net migration adding only 3,000. The state lost 4,898 jobs in 2025, and the reasons behind the migration slowdown and the continuation of job losses remain unexplained in the available data.
The players
Colorado Springs
Colorado's largest city by population gain in the period, adding 2,671 people and growing 0.5% over the year.
El Paso County
The most populous county in Colorado with 758,835 residents, reflecting the concentration of growth in the Colorado Springs area.
Denver
The state's major metropolitan center with 737,680 residents, which ranks as the second most populous county in Colorado.
The details
Colorado recorded its most births since 2017, and Colorado Springs grew 0.5%, adding 2,671 people. Meanwhile, 23 counties, including Boulder and Jefferson, and 129 municipalities lost population, while the state added 36,456 housing units between July 2024 and July 2025.
Timeline
July 1, 2025: Colorado's population reached 6,011,146.
2025: Colorado lost 4,898 jobs.
2026: The income gap to buy a home approached $50,000.
2027 to 2050: Economists project Colorado employment to grow 0.6% annually.
Market Landscape
Colorado was once a state where a median-income household could afford a median-priced home, a benchmark that held as recently as 2014. The state now faces a widening gap, with the income needed to buy a home approaching $50,000 more than the median household earns, and the current construction pace is sufficient to meet projected growth but will not resolve the existing shortage.
Colorado residents face a housing market where the income needed to buy a median-priced home approaches $153,700 annually, and 34% of households already spend more than 30% of their income on housing. With the state lost 4,898 jobs in 2025, renters and prospective buyers may find fewer employment options and continued pressure on monthly budgets.
The takeaway
Colorado's slowing growth shows that natural increase alone cannot sustain the state's population expansion, making housing supply and job stability central to whether residents can afford to stay. Readers planning a move or home purchase should weigh the state's shrinking margin between income and housing costs against current employment conditions.
Further reading
For more on the state's labor trends, see Employment coverage for Colorado.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Axios.
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