Colorado (statewide)
The decline in employment began earlier here than it did nationally. The high point was in December, 2000 when 2,249,600 people had jobs and the unemployment rate was 2.6%. The decline began in January, 2001 and continued through July, 2003. By this point Colorado lost 103,600 jobs, and the unemployment rate ended up at 6.3%.
The employment recovery began slowly in August, 2003, but Colorado ended 2003 with a net loss of 19,900 jobs, and an unemployment rate of 5.9%.
Colorado gained 46,800 jobs in 2004. The unemployment rate went down to 5.5%. Colorado gained 48,000 jobs in 2005. The unemployment rate went down to 4.8%.
Colorado finally broke even with its previous employment high point (in December, 2000) in January of this year–a 5-year span. The unemployment rate was 4.7% at this point. Comparing this with the unemployment rate in Dec., 2000 (2.6%) we can see, again, the employment market has changed from what it once was.
Here are the employment and unemployment statistics for 2005.
Month |
Change |
Num. Employed |
Unemployment Rate |
Jan. |
-600 |
2,200,600 |
5.2% |
Feb. |
+7,600 |
2,208,200 |
5.2% |
Mar. |
+4,900 |
2,213,100 |
5.2% |
Apr. |
+2,300 |
2,215,400 |
5.3% |
May |
+2,500 |
2,217,900 |
5.2% |
June |
+4,400 |
2,222,300 |
5.1% |
July |
+6,000 |
2,228,300 |
5.0% |
Aug. |
+500 |
2,228,800 |
5.0% |
Sept. |
+8,100 |
2,236,900 |
5.0% |
Oct. |
+2,800 |
2,239,700 |
4.9% |
Nov. |
+1,900 |
2,241,600 |
4.8% |
Dec. |
+7,600 |
2,249,200 |
4.8% |
The Denver Metro Area
Denver has been having a rough time of it since 2001. Like with the state of Colorado, Denver's high point in employment was in December, 2000 when 1,239,700 people had jobs and the unemployment rate was 2.3%. The decline began in January, 2001.
The Denver Metro Area (DMA) went through a series of peaks in unemployment. By January, 2002 87,200 jobs had been lost, and the unemployment rate rose to 7.0%–a dramatic 4.7-point increase in a year! The unemployment rate then started to dip. By May it got down to 5.6%, and then started to rise. By June, 2003 the employment numbers had improved some. There were now 71,200 fewer jobs than there were in December, 2000 (instead of 87,200 fewer), but the unemployment rate hit a peak of 7.1%. I can only tell that because the unemployment rate started to decline. The unemployment rate went on the decline after that, but employment kept falling. It's logical to conclude that since this is a regional survey, people were finding jobs elsewhere.
In January, 2004 the Denver Metro Area (DMA) hit bottom. It had lost 104,500 jobs, about as many as were lost at the lowest point for the whole state, and the unemployment rate was 6.8%. The jobs recovery began at this point. Every year since has been a mixed bag, some up months, some down months, but it has consistently ended the year on the upside, making modest gains.
The DMA gained 21,100 jobs in 2004, and ended the year with an unemployment rate of 5.6%. In 2005 the DMA gained 25,400 jobs, ending the year with an unemployment rate of 4.6%.
Denver has made up more than half of the jobs it has lost, but to date there are still 34,400 fewer jobs in the Denver Metro Area than there were in December, 2000.
Here are the employment and unemployment statistics for 2005.
Month |
Change |
Num. Employed |
Unemployment Rate |
Jan. |
-31,600 |
1,154,500 |
5.7% |
Feb. |
+7,300 |
1,161,800 |
5.8% |
Mar. |
+8,800 |
1,170,600 |
5.8% |
Apr. |
+9,800 |
1,180,400 |
5.4% |
May |
+9,600 |
1,190,000 |
5.1% |
June |
+11,500 |
1,201,500 |
5.4% |
July |
-3,100 |
1,198,400 |
5.2% |
Aug. |
+900 |
1,199,300 |
4.9% |
Sept. |
+3,800 |
1,203,100 |
5.0% |
Oct. |
+200 |
1,203,300 |
4.6% |
Nov. |
+4,000 |
1,207,300 |
4.7% |
Dec. |
+4,200 |
1,211,500 |
4.6% |
Boulder County
Like Denver and the state of Colorado, Boulder County's high point in employment was December, 2000 when 171,500 people had jobs, and the unemployment rate was 2.0%. The decline started in January, 2001. The unemployment rate hit a high of 6.7% in January, 2002–a dramatic 4.7-point increase in just one year. By this point 12,000 jobs had been lost. The unemployment rate tapered off from there, but the employment numbers continued to go down, reaching a low point in August, 2003. By this point 18,600 jobs had been lost, but the unemployment rate had gone down to 5.8%. Since the Boulder County survey is regional, it's logical to conclude that the reason for this is that people left found work outside Boulder County. to find work elsewhere.
The jobs recovery for Boulder County began in September, 2003, though it ended the year with a net loss of 3,000 jobs.
Boulder County gained 4,600 jobs in 2004, ending the year with an unemployment rate of 4.7%. It gained 2,200 jobs in 2005, ending the year with an unemployment rate of 3.8%.
To date Boulder County has regained more than half the jobs it lost, but it still has 8,700 fewer jobs than it did in December, 2000.
Here are the employment and unemployment statistics for 2005.
Month |
Change |
Num. Employed |
Unemployment Rate |
Jan. |
-4,700 |
156,800 |
4.9% |
Feb. |
+2,200 |
159,000 |
5.0% |
Mar. |
+700 |
159,700 |
5.0% |
Apr. |
+1,100 |
160,800 |
4.6% |
May |
+600 |
161,400 |
4.4% |
June |
-700 |
160,700 |
4.8% |
July |
-1,900 |
158,800 |
4.6% |
Aug. |
-400 |
158,400 |
4.3% |
Sept. |
+3,300 |
161,700 |
4.2% |
Oct. |
+1,300 |
163,000 |
3.9% |
Nov. |
+200 |
163,200 |
4.0% |
Dec. |
+500 |
163,700 |
3.8% |