Comparable baseline
Colorado at a glance
| Population | 6,012,561 | July 1, 2025; +3.9% since 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Business applications | 17,259 | July 2026, seasonally adjusted |
| Trailing-12-month applications | 163,722 | 2,723.0 per 100,000 residents |
| High-propensity applications | 3,613 | 20.9% of July applications |
| Projected employer formations | 814 | Census four-quarter projection for July's cohort |
| Small businesses | 730,887 | SBA 2025 profile; underlying employer and nonemployer data are from 2022 |
| Small-business employment | 1,206,660 | 48.6% of private employment in 2022 |
| Employer establishments | 182,486 | 2023 County Business Patterns |
Application rankings cover the 50 states and use unrounded figures. Applications are qualifying EIN filings, not confirmed business openings. Measurement years differ because federal datasets are released on different schedules.
Colorado generated qualifying EIN applications at one of the highest population-adjusted rates in the country in 2026. Census recorded 17,259 business applications in July, or 287.0 per 100,000 residents, ranking third among states. The elevated level was not a one-month quirk: Colorado’s trailing-year rate of 2,723 applications per 100,000 ranked fifth.
Application volume and likely employer formation, however, point in different directions. Census classified 3,613 July filings as high propensity—20.9% of the total, the third-lowest share among states. The remaining applications lacked one or more of the administrative characteristics Census associates with a greater likelihood of becoming payroll employers.
Application intensity stands out more than growth
July applications were 44.7% above July 2025 and 9.2% above June. The year-over-year increase ranked sixth among states. Across the full trailing year, applications rose a more moderate 18.7%, ranking 20th.
Colorado is a top-five state for applications relative to population, even though its longer-window growth was near the middle of the national ranking.
July applications were also 146.1% above July 2019, when Census recorded 7,012. Colorado’s population reached an estimated 6.01 million in July 2025, up 3.9% from the 2020 Census base. These benchmarks use different starting points and should not be read as proof that population change produced the application increase.
Business applications are qualifying EIN filings, not confirmed openings. Census projected 814 employer formations within four quarters from Colorado’s July cohort; that model estimate is separate from the high-propensity classification and is not an observed outcome.
A large small-business base with a middle-ranked employment role
The SBA reported 730,887 small businesses in Colorado using 2022 component data. The total combines 146,901 small employer firms and 583,986 nonemployer businesses. Nonemployers accounted for 79.9%, close to the state median rather than a defining Colorado feature.
Small firms employed 1,206,660 people, equal to 48.6% of private-sector employment and 20th among states. That is a substantial share, but it does not mirror Colorado’s top-five application rate.
No single county dominates Colorado’s employer economy
Denver County accounted for 489,563 jobs, or 19.1% of employment covered by 2023 County Business Patterns. Arapahoe County held 12.5% and El Paso County 10.4%, putting the top three at 42.0% of the state total. Denver was the largest center, but its leading-county share ranked 32nd—well below the concentration seen in Arizona, Nevada, and Alaska.
Health care and social assistance was the largest covered sector, with 352,483 jobs, followed by accommodation and food services and retail trade. Information had Colorado’s highest substantial-sector location quotient at 1.46, with 101,428 jobs and 4.0% of covered employment. The sector was more concentrated than in the 50-state economy, but not an extreme outlier.
County and industry figures describe the 2023 employer economy. They do not reveal which locations or sectors generated Colorado’s 2026 applications.
Official starting points for a Colorado business
- Entity filings: The Colorado Secretary of State provides business searches and online organization filings.
- Taxes and registration: The Department of Revenue’s business page covers tax accounts, while MyBizColorado coordinates several startup registrations.
- Professional licensing: The Department of Regulatory Agencies maintains information for regulated professions and occupations. Local licensing may be separate.
- Business assistance: The Colorado SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and statewide specialty programs.
Source and calculation note
Application figures use the Census July 2026 Business Formation Statistics release. July values are seasonally adjusted; trailing-year totals sum unadjusted applications from August 2025 through July 2026 and compare them with the prior August–July period. Rates use the July 1, 2025 population estimate. SBA counts and employment use 2022 component data. County and sector measures use 2023 County Business Patterns employment. BizFacts calculated changes, rates, shares, location quotients, and 50-state ranks from sources retrieved September 3, 2026.