Counties with the highest unemployment in Colorado
Despite a relatively low unemployment rate just shy of 4%, as compared to the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains amid ongoing economic uncertainty.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Colorado using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in April 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Economists forecast a waning risk of recession and predict that the U.S. may instead be headed for an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing." Still, layoffs among major U.S. employers like Amazon to Tesla have sparked concern among Americans. What's more, unemployment has spiked in nearly half the country's states, which often indicates a looming recession, an economist told Business Insider. And with sky-high prices after a period of record inflation, savings and unemployment payments may not cover basic expenses for jobless Americans for long.
For comparison, the Great Recession of 2007-09 sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
Still, as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—little changed from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state vary, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Colorado.
#50. Park County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,615 people (318 unemployed)
#49. Eagle County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,500 people (953 unemployed)
#48. Sedgwick County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,121 people (31 unemployed)
#47. Grand County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,168 people (253 unemployed)
#46. Garfield County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,658 people (895 unemployed)
#45. Mineral County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 453 people (13 unemployed)
#44. Bent County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,831 people (54 unemployed)
#43. Chaffee County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,179 people (293 unemployed)
#42. Elbert County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,999 people (457 unemployed)
#41. Routt County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,350 people (470 unemployed)
#40. San Juan County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 537 people (16 unemployed)
#39. Teller County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,708 people (418 unemployed)
#38. La Plata County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,180 people (929 unemployed)
#37. Larimer County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 216,882 people (6,484 unemployed)
#36. Custer County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,147 people (67 unemployed)
#35. Gilpin County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,929 people (121 unemployed)
#34. Morgan County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,545 people (476 unemployed)
#33. Boulder County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 205,290 people (6,273 unemployed)
#32. Clear Creek County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,147 people (197 unemployed)
#31. Archuleta County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,846 people (222 unemployed)
#30. Douglas County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 208,197 people (6,759 unemployed)
#29. Jefferson County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 342,986 people (11,109 unemployed)
#28. Saguache County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,463 people (114 unemployed)
#27. Moffat County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,012 people (232 unemployed)
#26. Montrose County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,721 people (715 unemployed)
#25. Ouray County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,366 people (80 unemployed)
#24. Pitkin County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,893 people (366 unemployed)
#23. Broomfield County/city
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 42,578 people (1,442 unemployed)
#22. Arapahoe County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 374,502 people (12,612 unemployed)
#21. Rio Blanco County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,714 people (96 unemployed)
#20. Delta County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,046 people (486 unemployed)
#19. Weld County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 172,825 people (5,990 unemployed)
#18. El Paso County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 366,976 people (12,805 unemployed)
#17. Hinsdale County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 337 people (12 unemployed)
#16. Conejos County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,823 people (136 unemployed)
#15. Mesa County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 76,009 people (2,718 unemployed)
#14. Denver County/city
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 436,979 people (16,325 unemployed)
#13. Alamosa County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,836 people (296 unemployed)
#12. Adams County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 281,786 people (10,796 unemployed)
#11. Crowley County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,344 people (53 unemployed)
#10. Otero County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,671 people (298 unemployed)
#9. Montezuma County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,864 people (486 unemployed)
#8. Dolores County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,075 people (45 unemployed)
#7. Costilla County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,814 people (76 unemployed)
#6. Rio Grande County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,278 people (238 unemployed)
#5. Pueblo County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 75,366 people (3,440 unemployed)
#4. Fremont County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,379 people (708 unemployed)
#3. Las Animas County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,929 people (310 unemployed)
#2. Huerfano County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,495 people (136 unemployed)
#1. San Miguel County
- April unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 3.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,938 people (277 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
