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Colorado

State-to-state migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
102
2% above the U.S. average
Median home value
$502,200
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+44.9%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,693
national $1,348
Homeownership
66%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.3%
national 3.6%
Household income
$92,470
national $78,538
Median age
37.5 yrs
national 38.7

The cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. The median home is valued at $502,200 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 45% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,693 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.3% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $92,470. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Colorado saw a net gain of 10,878 tax-filing households and a net gain of 7,030 individuals. Against a population of about 5,877,610, that is a net inflow of about 1.2 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $671.3M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 14,923 households, came from Texas; the largest outflow, about 12,275 households, went to Texas. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 3,074 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$671.3M
nominal dollars
Net households
+10,878
tax returns
Net people
+7,030
exemptions

+1.2 net people per 1,000 residents (population 5,877,610)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$10.2B
Moved out$9.5B
Net +$671.3M (nominal)
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Colorado counties

Net migration by county. Hover for figures; click a county to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Top origin states

  1. 1Texas14,923$1.3B
  2. 2California14,044$1.4B
  3. 3Florida8,639$656.3M
  4. 4Arizona5,683$466.7M
  5. 5Illinois4,686$478.4M
  6. 6New York3,987$385.2M
  7. 7Washington3,480$335.1M
  8. 8Virginia3,276$292.5M
  9. 9North Carolina3,117$237.4M
  10. 10Georgia3,057$240.2M
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Top destination states

  1. 1Texas12,275$1.1B
  2. 2California9,699$877.2M
  3. 3Florida9,070$954.1M
  4. 4Arizona6,012$584.5M
  5. 5Washington3,935$340.9M
  6. 6North Carolina3,423$289.1M
  7. 7New York3,210$273.5M
  8. 8Illinois3,198$290.7M
  9. 9Missouri2,677$194.5M
  10. 10New Mexico2,642$168.2M
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Churn by state · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Texas14,92312,275+2,648+$238.1M
California14,0449,699+4,345+$565.4M
Florida8,6399,070-431-$297.8M
Arizona5,6836,012-329-$117.8M
Illinois4,6863,198+1,488+$187.7M
Washington3,4803,935-455-$5.9M
New York3,9873,210+777+$111.6M
North Carolina3,1173,423-306-$51.7M
Virginia3,2762,627+649+$62.7M
Georgia3,0572,571+486+$45.3M
New Mexico2,7432,642+101+$28.5M
Missouri2,5232,677-154+$8M

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$19B (+229,670 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$1.1B+20,703
2013+$1B+26,544
2014+$970.4M+29,609
2015+$889.1M+28,492
2016+$1.8B+34,631
2017+$2.4B+32,429
2018+$2.1B+26,840
2019+$2B+18,862
2020+$2.3B+11,161
2021+$2.1B-3,557
2022+$1.5B-3,074
2023+$671.3M+7,030
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the state?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 7,030 more people moved into Colorado than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $671.3M in income (nominal) — in a state of 5,912,240 people.

Population
5,912,240
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+1.2
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +12 people.
Net income per resident
+$114
nominal dollars
+$671.3M total across 5,912,240 residents.

The rate lets you compare Colorado with a stateof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the state’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+62,233
Deaths
-45,204
Net domestic migration
+6,008
Net international migration
+35,920
Total change
+58,885

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Colorado run about 2% above the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $98 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$80,169
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
15% above the U.S. average
Price level
101.9
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 1.9% higher than average
What that income buys
$78,708
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
12% above the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Price parity shown at the state level (BEA does not publish a single figure below the metro level).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents130.5
Goods99.2
Utilities86.8
Other services96.5

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Colorado

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
37.5
years
Median household income
$92,470
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
18% above the U.S. median
College degree
45%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
9.4%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
25 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
93%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 66%Hispanic 22%Black 4%Asian 3%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$502,200
owner-occupied homes
66% above the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,693
gross rent per month
26% above the U.S. median
Homeownership
66%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+2.0%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+45%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
39,404new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 50%Multifamily 50%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.3%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
3,230,055
3,124,030 employed
Disaster declarations
1
major federal, 2023
most common: Flood

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.7%
May 2026 · ▼ 0.3 points vs May 2025
January 2024May 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this state, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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Who’s moving by income

Net migration by income bracket

Tax-filing households that moved into Colorado minus those that left, by the adjusted gross income they reported, 20222023. Positive means more arrived than left at that income level.

$1–$10k
+314
In 8,841Out 8,527+$2.2M AGI
$10k–$25k
+2,645
In 20,932Out 18,287+$50.2M AGI
$25k–$50k
+3,921
In 32,729Out 28,808+$140.1M AGI
$50k–$75k
+2,156
In 20,064Out 17,908+$134.5M AGI
$75k–$100k
+908
In 12,349Out 11,441+$78.5M AGI
$100k–$200k
+450
In 18,319Out 17,869+$47.4M AGI
$200k+
+784
In 8,912Out 8,128+$213.9M AGI

Among the highest earners ($200k+), Colorado ranks #11 of 51 states for net household migration (+784).

Source: IRS Statistics of Income, state-level gross migration file (returns with negative AGI are excluded, so this won’t exactly match the totals above). Income is what filers reported, not a reason anyone moved. Compare all states by income bracket. How the data works.

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Goods trade

What Colorado ships and receives

Physical goods shipped between Colorado and other states, 2022. This is freight, not the migration of people or income shown above.

$98.5B
Ships to other states
+23% since 2017
$125.4B
Receives from states
+33% since 2017
-$26.9B
Net balance

Top goods shipped out

Mixed freight
$25.3B
Precision instruments and apparatus
$17.9B
Plastics and rubber
$17.6B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$16.7B
Pharmaceutical products
$16.2B
Motorized and other vehicles (includes parts)
$12.7B

Top goods received

Mixed freight
$24.0B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$22.8B
Motorized and other vehicles (includes parts)
$13.5B
Gasoline and aviation turbine fuel
$13.1B
Other prepared foodstuffs and fats and oils
$11.5B
Pharmaceutical products
$10.2B

Biggest trading partners (both ways)

Goods trade runs in both directions: states swap different goods, so a partner is often near the top of both columns. Net is ships minus receives (positive means Colorado ships more to that partner than it gets back).

PartnerShips toReceivesNetTotal
California$8.6B$17.4B-$8.8B$26.0B
Texas$9.1B$14.6B-$5.5B$23.7B
Utah$6.0B$8.4B-$2.4B$14.4B
Illinois$4.3B$6.9B-$2.6B$11.2B
Wyoming$5.8B$2.6B+$3.2B$8.5B
Washington$3.3B$3.9B-$650M$7.2B
Nebraska$3.3B$3.4B-$103M$6.7B
Pennsylvania$2.5B$3.6B-$1.1B$6.1B

Goods shipped every five years by the Census Commodity Flow Survey (a sample, so figures are estimates and the smallest flows are withheld). Value is nominal. The totals and partner table above count trade between Colorado and other states; the goods lists count everything the state ships or receives, including within-state shipments. Compare all states. How the data works.

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Taxes the state collects

What Colorado collects in taxes

Total state taxes
$18.1B
FY 2023, nominal
Per resident
$3,067
total state taxes ÷ population
Largest categories (share of total)
Individual income tax$6.8B · 37%
General sales & gross receipts$4.6B · 25%
Corporation net income tax$2.3B · 13%
Other selective sales tax$1.5B · 8%
Motor fuels sales tax$708M · 4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections. This is what the state government collected (not local taxes), not a measure of any individual’s tax burden. How the data works.

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How Colorado has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

President, 19762024

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20241,728,1591,377,44185,273D +11.03,190,873
20201,804,3521,364,60788,021D +13.53,256,980
20161,338,8701,202,484238,866D +4.92,780,220
20121,322,9981,185,05061,169D +5.42,569,217
20081,288,5761,073,58939,196D +9.02,401,361
20041,001,7321,101,25526,643R +4.72,129,630
2000738,227883,745119,393R +8.41,741,365
1996671,152691,848147,702R +1.41,510,702
1992629,681562,850376,649D +4.31,569,180
1988621,453728,17722,764R +7.81,372,394
1984454,975821,81718,588R +28.31,295,380
1980368,009652,264164,177R +24.01,184,450
1976460,801584,27836,361R +11.41,081,440

U.S. Senate races · all states →

YearWinnerDemocraticRepublicanOtherMargin
2022Michael Bennet1,397,1701,031,69371,338D +14.6
2020John W. Hickenlooper1,731,1141,429,49275,184D +9.3
2016Michael F. Bennet1,370,7101,215,318156,995D +5.7
2014Cory Gardner944,203983,891112,926R +1.9
2010Michael F. Bennet851,590822,73197,869D +1.6
2008Mark Udall1,230,994990,755109,737D +10.3
2004Ken Salazar1,081,188980,66845,616D +4.8
2002Wayne Allard648,130717,89349,463R +4.9

U.S. House seats won · district maps →

2024
D 4 · R 4
2022
D 5 · R 3
2020
D 4 · R 3
2018
D 4 · R 3
2016
D 3 · R 4
2014
D 3 · R 4
2012
D 3 · R 4
2010
D 3 · R 4
2008
D 5 · R 2
2006
D 4 · R 3
2004
D 3 · R 4
2002
D 2 · R 5
2000
D 2 · R 4

2024 results by county

Republican wonDemocratic wonIndependent / other
Which party received the most votes, as a solid color.Winning margin as a share of all votes cast.Change in margin since 2020, in percentage points.Total votes cast, all candidates.
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Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

Counties in Colorado (64)

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