and expansion. These diverse industries
are critical to the economic base of the
nine-county metro Denver and Northern
Colorado regions and are primary targets
for economic development efforts.
Aerospace: More than 58,000 private
sector workers and military personnel
worked in aerospace in 2013. The
state is home to four military commands,
eight major space contractors and more
than 300 aerospace companies and
suppliers. Colorado ranked second
among the 50 states for private
aerospace employment concentration in
2013.
Aviation: Denver International Airport
and three reliever airports create a solid
foundation for the 15,910 workers
directly employed by aviation
companies. The nine-county region
ranks 11th among the nation’s 50
largest metro areas for aviation
employment concentration.
Bioscience: The region’s businesses
employ 4,780 biotechnology and
pharmaceuticals workers and 10,310
workers in medical device and instrument
production. Ten local higher education
institutions offer bioscience programs and
research assets, as does the Fitzsimons
Life Science District and the Anschutz
Medical Campus in Aurora.
Broadcasting and Telecommunications:
Denver’s Mountain Time Zone location
makes it the largest U.S. region with one-bounce satellite uplinks, which give
Rank Company Website Colorado Employees*
1 U.S. Government www.opm.gov 40,296
2 State of Colorado www.colorado.gov/dpa 29,510
3 University of Colorado System www.cusys.edu 16,861
4 Denver Public Schools www.dpsk12.org 13,087
5 City and County of Denver www.denvergov.org 10,813
6 Denver Health www.denverhealth.org 5,600
7 Boulder Valley School District RE- 2 www.bvsd.org 4,206
8 Aurora Public Schools www.aurorak12.org 3,964
9 Jefferson County www.jeffco.us 2,803
10 City of Aurora www.auroragov.org 2,550
11 Regional Transportation District (RTD) www.rtd-denver.com 2,523
12 Boulder County www.bouldercounty.org 1,845
13 Littleton Public Schools www.littletonpublicschools.net 1,836
14 Adams County www.adcogov.org 1,798
15 City of Boulder www.bouldercolorado.gov 1,218
16 Adams County School District No. 50 www.adams50.org 900
17 Anythink/Rangeview Library District www.anythinklibraries.org 150
Note: Several employers ranked on prior years' lists did not provide information for this year's list.
Source: Book of Lists 2012/2013, Denver Business Journal.
