Jefferson County, Colorado: commercial real estate data.
Jefferson County, Colorado has a population of 579,377 across 764 square miles, down 0.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $46.22 bn in 2024, 17,999 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,146 7(a) approvals worth $762.9 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections · underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency
Jefferson County
How many people live in Jefferson County
- Population579,377
- Households241,735
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$110,656
- Median age40.5
- Median gross rent$1,861 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$637,600
- Home value to household income5.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher52.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree19.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over429,259
- Population under 18106,970
- Share under 1818.5 percent
- Population 65 and over103,643
- Share 65 and over17.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64368,764
- Civilian labor force336,266
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over71.2 percent
- Rank by population among Colorado counties4th of 64
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents119th
Jefferson County is the 4th largest of 64 Colorado counties by population. A median home costs 5.8 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 18.5 percent against 17.9 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Jefferson County
Is Jefferson County's population growing?
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.76 percent
- Census 2020 base population582,944
- Births, 20245,471
- Deaths, 20245,078
- Natural change, 2024393
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,476
- Net international migration, 20241,911
- Total net migration, 2024435
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-10,104
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2109th
The county has lost 0.76 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Migration contributed more to 2024 change than births over deaths, so demand here follows people arriving rather than families forming.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Jefferson County
Where are people moving to Jefferson County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving29,419
- People arriving, from those returns42,361
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.58 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$87,753
- Largest single originJefferson County Non-migrants (233,296 households)
- Largest single destination (233,296 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County Non-migrants | 233,296 | 437,957 | $28.55 bn |
| Denver County | 8,091 | 11,458 | $741.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 4,235 | 6,054 | $336.3 m |
| Adams County | 2,800 | 4,302 | $166.7 m |
| Arapahoe County | 2,560 | 3,796 | $183.6 m |
| Other flows - South | 1,575 | 2,299 | $128.9 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 1,220 | 1,713 | $83.0 m |
| Boulder County | 1,186 | 1,559 | $98.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Jefferson County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Jefferson County
What is the Jefferson County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$46.22 bn
- County GDP, 2023$44.32 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.3 percent
- GDP change over five years30.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Colorado counties4th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents128th
- GDP per resident$79,780
Output grew 4.3 percent in the latest year and 30.3 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Jefferson County
Largest employers in Jefferson County
- Covered employment, annual average248,082
- Establishments reporting25,019
- Average annual pay$78,598
- Average weekly wage$1,512
- Sector 62, employment31,935
- Sector 62, average annual pay$70,298
- Sector 54, employment29,617
- Sector 54, average annual pay$121,280
- Sector 44-45, employment28,419
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$44,262
- Sector 72, employment24,742
- Sector 72, average annual pay$31,700
- Sector 31-33, employment19,785
- Sector 23, employment17,891
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 31,935 | 2,353 | $70,298 |
| Sector 54 | 29,617 | 6,442 | $121,280 |
| Sector 44-45 | 28,419 | 1,750 | $44,262 |
| Sector 72 | 24,742 | 1,316 | $31,700 |
| Sector 31-33 | 19,785 | 517 | $118,800 |
| Sector 23 | 17,891 | 2,170 | $84,091 |
| Sector 56 | 13,263 | 1,404 | $60,765 |
| Sector 81 | 8,511 | 1,956 | $55,317 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 31,935 jobs, 12.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Jefferson County
How many businesses are in Jefferson County?
- Establishments, all industries17,999
- Employment at those establishments210,701
- Annual payroll$13.04 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents31.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Jefferson County
Building permits in Jefferson County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20241,172
- Declared construction value permitted$401.1 m
- Single family units authorised932
- Multifamily units authorised240
- Multifamily share of units20.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$342,206
- Units authorised per 1,000 households4.8
Multifamily is 20.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Jefferson County
SBA loans in Jefferson County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,146
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$762.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$665,663
- Median 7(a) approval$298,500
- 10th percentile approval$30,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,847,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)11,876
- Jobs per approval10.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active134
- Distinct industries receiving approvals265
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer17.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms201
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter889
- Franchise loans173
- Franchise share of approvals15.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countBeer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (46)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (110)
- 504 approvals recorded301
- 504 gross approval dollars$242.7 m
- Average 504 approval$806,359
- Median 504 approval$538,000
- Distinct CDCs active5
- 504 jobs per approval8.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.4
- Most active CDCB:Side Capital (237)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals79.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$1.01 bn
The average approval of $665,663 sits well above the median of $298,500, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 17.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Jefferson County
Do SBA loans in Jefferson County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded219
- Paid in full204
- Charged off15
- Charge off rate on resolved loans6.8 percent
- Status: Paid in full204
- Status: Exempt from disclosure720
- Status: Cancelled124
- Status: Charged off15
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed83
Of the 219 loans that have reached a final outcome, 6.8 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
SBA lending by place in Jefferson County
- Places in the county with recorded lending24
- Lakewood, approvals269
- ARVADA, approvals245
- Littleton, approvals172
- Wheat Ridge, approvals111
- Golden, approvals111
- DENVER, approvals51
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | 269 | $177,743,500 |
| ARVADA | 245 | $162,807,100 |
| Littleton | 172 | $113,038,700 |
| Wheat Ridge | 111 | $91,871,100 |
| Golden | 111 | $75,475,900 |
| DENVER | 51 | $33,884,700 |
| EVERGREEN | 44 | $30,156,200 |
| WESTMINSTER | 39 | $25,023,200 |
Lakewood accounts for 269 approvals against 245 in ARVADA. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
How large is Jefferson County?
- Land area764 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Colorado counties50th of 64
- Width, east to west18.6 mi
- Height, north to south54.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary10
- Residents per square mile of land758
- Establishments per square mile23.56
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Jefferson County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Jefferson County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population579,377
- Households241,735
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$110,656
- Median age40.5
Common questions
Jefferson County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Jefferson County, Colorado?
579,377, in 241,735 households, ranking 4th of 64 Colorado counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Jefferson County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.76 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 5,471 births against 5,078 deaths, with net migration of 435. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Jefferson County?
$110,656. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $637,600, which is 5.8 times income, and median gross rent is $1,861 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Jefferson County?
17,999 establishments, employing 210,701 people with an annual payroll of $13.04 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Jefferson County?
Average annual pay is $78,598, or $1,512 a week, across 248,082 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Jefferson County?
1,146 7(a) approvals totalling $762.9 m since FY2020, across 134 lenders, with a median approval of $298,500, plus 301 504 approvals worth $242.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Jefferson County get paid back?
Of the 219 loans that have reached a final outcome, 204 were paid in full and 15 charged off, a charge off rate of 6.8 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Jefferson County?
1,172 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $401.1 m. Multifamily was 20.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Jefferson County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Jefferson County come from?
The largest single origin is Jefferson County Non-migrants, with 233,296 households. Arriving households report an average income of $87,753 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Jefferson County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Jefferson County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.
Jefferson County
Cities and places in Jefferson.
26 Census places lie wholly or partly in Jefferson County. 26 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA approvals | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | city | 156,583 | 278 | Wholly in this county |
| Arvada | city | 122,634 | 255 | Wholly in this county |
| Westminster | city | 115,484 | 153 | 49.9 percent here, 50.1 percent Adams County |
| Littleton | city | 44,710 | 370 | 4.4 percent here, 93.8 percent Arapahoe County |
| Dakota Ridge | CDP | 33,753 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ken Caryl | CDP | 33,233 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Wheat Ridge | city | 32,070 | 114 | Wholly in this county |
| Columbine | CDP | 25,478 | None recorded | 89.3 percent here, 10.7 percent Arapahoe County |
| Golden | city | 20,417 | 114 | Wholly in this county |
| Superior | town | 13,305 | 23 | 5.0 percent here, 95.0 percent Boulder County |
| Fairmount | CDP | 9,902 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Evergreen | CDP | 8,602 | 50 | Wholly in this county |
| Applewood | CDP | 8,350 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| West Pleasant View | CDP | 5,051 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Edgewater | city | 4,932 | 15 | Wholly in this county |
| Genesee | CDP | 3,778 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bow Mar | town | 1,047 | None recorded | 33.1 percent here, 66.9 percent Arapahoe County |
| Indian Hills | CDP | 986 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| East Pleasant View | CDP | 832 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kittredge | CDP | 812 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Aspen Park | CDP | 742 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Mountain View | town | 609 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Morrison | town | 412 | 16 | Wholly in this county |
| Brook Forest | CDP | 355 | None recorded | 68.2 percent here, 31.8 percent Clear Creek County |
| Idledale | CDP | 297 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lakeside | town | 4 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 2,590 SBA approvals in Jefferson County are recorded against borrower cities that match no Census place, the largest being Denver, Broomfield, Greenwood Village. Those are postal cities and unincorporated areas rather than incorporated places, so no page claims them, and their lending is counted in this county's totals above rather than under any city.