U.S. News & World Report recently released their list of the Best Places to Live and three Colorado cities made the Top 25: Boulder #4, Colorado Springs #9 and Fort Collins #23. Rankings were based on comparison of the 150 most populous metro areas in the U.S. based on affordability, quality of life, desirability and job market. View the complete findings at: U.S. News Ranks the Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023-2024.
Big news for Fort Collins: Apple chooses Broadcom to manufacture 5G tech
Apple recently announced a multibillion-dollar agreement with Broadcom to develop and manufacture 5G radio frequency components. The majority of the manufacturing will be conducted at Broadcom's Fort Collins facility. This agreement is aligned with Apple's 2021 commitment to invest more than $430 billion in the U.S., and is estimated to inject millions of dollars into the Fort Collins economy. Click here to read the full press release.
Northern Colorado home to 9 of Top 20 fastest growing communities
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released population estimates that show Northern Colorado accounting for 9 of the Top 20 fastest growing communities in the state. Since the April 1, 2020 Census the following Northern Colorado communities topped growth charts: Keenesburg up almost 66%, Timnath up 44%, Severance up 37.7%, Ault up 32%, Mead up 30%, Berthoud up 23%, Frederick up 18%, Windsor up 17.7% and Firestone up 12%. Click here to learn more.
May 2023
Weld, Larimer lead population growth
Latest annual population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show Weld and Larimer County leading the state in population growth. From 7/1/2021 to 7/1/2022, Weld County added 10,365 residents, which accounted for 36% of the population growth in the state during that time period. In Larimer County, the population grew by 4,065 residents during the 12-month period. Combined growth in the two neighboring counties positioned Northern Colorado to account for 51.3% of the state's total population growth. Click here for an in-depth examination of the growth.
Front Range metro areas rank as best paying for women
In Smartest Dollar's recent study of Best-Paying U.S. Cities for Women in 2023, a number of Colorado front range metro areas topped the ranks. Boulder ranked #1, Pueblo #30 and Greeley #33 for small metros. For midsize metros, Fort Collins ranked #13 and Colorado Springs #27. For the best-paying large metros for Women, Denver ranked #11. As a state, Colorado ranked #9 overall. Click here for a complete breakdown and analysis of the Smartest Dollar data.
IRES 1st Quarter Report
Information and Real Estate Services (IRES) recently released their Q1 2023 MarketWatch Report and in Northern Colorado home prices held steady overall. In Larimer County, the median sales price was $571,015 for Q1-2023, a 0% change year-over-year. The number of closed sales was down 16.9% dropping to 1,015. In Weld County, the median sales price was $488,900 for Q1-2023, a -0.2% change year-over-year. The number of closed sales was down 25.7%, coming in at 1,281. In Boulder County, the median sales price was $850,000 for Q1-2023, a 0.0% year-over-year change. The number of closed sales was down 25.9%, coming in at 523.
April 2023
Front Range metro areas rank for highest per capita GDP
Smartest Dollar recently released a study of U.S. Cities With the Largest Economies and specifically examined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita. In the large metros category, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood came in at #10. In the category of midsize metros, Fort Collins-Loveland ranked #21 and Colorado Springs #46. Lastly, in the category of small metros, Boulder ranked #2 and Greeley #40. As a state, Colorado ranked #9 overall. Click here to read the full report.
Boulder ranks among top 20 peaceful cities
Healthy working conditions, easy access to year-round outdoor recreation, quality health care and a supportive environment for entrepreneurship propelled Boulder to #16 on Money Inc.'s list of the top 20 peaceful places to live in the United States. Click here to read the full article from Money Inc.
Colorado Unemployment Rate at pre-pandemic levels
The latest release from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment shows that Colorado's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 2.8% in January, which marked nine straight months of sub-3% unemployment in Colorado. This data is particularly significant give that in May 2020 the jobless rate was 11.6%. Larimer County's January and December unemployment rates were 2.7% and 2.3%; Weld County 3.2% and 2.7%; and Boulder County 2.5% and 2.1%. Click here to read the full press release.