Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Colorado
The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.
But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.
Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns.
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Colorado using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.
Read on to find out where the most loyal Colorado residents live.
#50. Gunnison County
- Population: 17,018
- Born in Colorado: 5,845 (34.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,255 (60.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 306 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 612 (3.6% of population)
#49. Archuleta County
- Population: 13,509
- Born in Colorado: 4,661 (34.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 8,278 (61.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 69 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 501 (3.7% of population)
#48. La Plata County
- Population: 55,983
- Born in Colorado: 20,401 (36.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 33,428 (59.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 789 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,365 (2.4% of population)
#47. Douglas County
- Population: 360,206
- Born in Colorado: 132,312 (36.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 193,802 (53.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5,476 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 28,616 (7.9% of population)
#46. Custer County
- Population: 4,885
- Born in Colorado: 1,811 (37.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,782 (56.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 102 (2.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 190 (3.9% of population)
#45. Clear Creek County
- Population: 9,403
- Born in Colorado: 3,526 (37.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,256 (55.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 202 (2.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 419 (4.5% of population)
#44. Broomfield
- Population: 73,946
- Born in Colorado: 28,022 (37.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 37,395 (50.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 647 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 7,882 (10.7% of population)
#43. Denver
- Population: 710,800
- Born in Colorado: 274,052 (38.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 326,090 (45.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 11,625 (1.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 99,033 (13.9% of population)
#42. Chaffee County
- Population: 19,564
- Born in Colorado: 7,571 (38.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 11,056 (56.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 263 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 674 (3.4% of population)
#41. Lake County
- Population: 7,403
- Born in Colorado: 2,875 (38.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,720 (50.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 27 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 781 (10.5% of population)
#40. Larimer County
- Population: 359,363
- Born in Colorado: 141,659 (39.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 193,289 (53.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,003 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 20,412 (5.7% of population)
#39. Grand County
- Population: 15,724
- Born in Colorado: 6,283 (40.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 8,578 (54.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 391 (2.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 472 (3.0% of population)
#38. Arapahoe County
- Population: 654,453
- Born in Colorado: 262,099 (40.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 278,190 (42.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 12,180 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 101,984 (15.6% of population)
#37. Garfield County
- Population: 61,683
- Born in Colorado: 25,172 (40.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 26,271 (42.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,449 (2.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 8,791 (14.3% of population)
#36. Montezuma County
- Population: 26,070
- Born in Colorado: 11,468 (44.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 13,490 (51.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 240 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 872 (3.3% of population)
#35. Fremont County
- Population: 49,107
- Born in Colorado: 22,179 (45.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 25,496 (51.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 426 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,006 (2.0% of population)
#34. Huerfano County
- Population: 6,896
- Born in Colorado: 3,118 (45.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,578 (51.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 80 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 120 (1.7% of population)
#33. Jefferson County
- Population: 580,519
- Born in Colorado: 264,702 (45.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 272,533 (46.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 7,543 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 35,741 (6.2% of population)
#32. Dolores County
- Population: 2,329
- Born in Colorado: 1,084 (46.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,155 (49.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 60 (2.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 30 (1.3% of population)
#31. Montrose County
- Population: 42,823
- Born in Colorado: 20,207 (47.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 19,119 (44.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 391 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,106 (7.3% of population)
#30. Rio Blanco County
- Population: 6,511
- Born in Colorado: 3,136 (48.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,037 (46.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 93 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 245 (3.8% of population)
#29. Elbert County
- Population: 26,457
- Born in Colorado: 12,894 (48.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 12,554 (47.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 262 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 747 (2.8% of population)
#28. Las Animas County
- Population: 14,422
- Born in Colorado: 7,113 (49.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 6,530 (45.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 254 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 525 (3.6% of population)
#27. Mesa County
- Population: 156,131
- Born in Colorado: 77,571 (49.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 71,332 (45.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,138 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,090 (3.9% of population)
#26. Baca County
- Population: 3,496
- Born in Colorado: 1,791 (51.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,514 (43.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 66 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 125 (3.6% of population)
#25. Costilla County
- Population: 3,534
- Born in Colorado: 1,812 (51.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,491 (42.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 21 (0.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 210 (5.9% of population)
#24. Adams County
- Population: 520,149
- Born in Colorado: 267,265 (51.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 165,077 (31.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 9,023 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 78,784 (15.1% of population)
#23. Delta County
- Population: 31,173
- Born in Colorado: 16,268 (52.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 13,478 (43.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 126 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,301 (4.2% of population)
#22. Weld County
- Population: 331,466
- Born in Colorado: 174,059 (52.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 122,717 (37.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,536 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 30,154 (9.1% of population)
#21. Moffat County
- Population: 13,232
- Born in Colorado: 7,001 (52.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,405 (40.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 102 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 724 (5.5% of population)
#20. Saguache County
- Population: 6,454
- Born in Colorado: 3,482 (54.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,480 (38.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 116 (1.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 376 (5.8% of population)
#19. Jackson County
- Population: 1,440
- Born in Colorado: 802 (55.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 632 (43.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 6 (0.4% of population)
#18. Sedgwick County
- Population: 2,391
- Born in Colorado: 1,339 (56.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 940 (39.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 8 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 104 (4.3% of population)
#17. Morgan County
- Population: 29,045
- Born in Colorado: 16,638 (57.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 8,410 (29.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 281 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,716 (12.8% of population)
#16. Kit Carson County
- Population: 7,039
- Born in Colorado: 4,084 (58.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,380 (33.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 38 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 537 (7.6% of population)
#15. Logan County
- Population: 21,302
- Born in Colorado: 12,533 (58.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 7,672 (36.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 309 (1.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 788 (3.7% of population)
#14. Kiowa County
- Population: 1,347
- Born in Colorado: 795 (59.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 510 (37.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 42 (3.1% of population)
#13. Crowley County
- Population: 5,782
- Born in Colorado: 3,428 (59.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,163 (37.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 96 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 95 (1.6% of population)
#12. Cheyenne County
- Population: 1,726
- Born in Colorado: 1,029 (59.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 541 (31.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 14 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 142 (8.2% of population)
#11. Lincoln County
- Population: 5,583
- Born in Colorado: 3,410 (61.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,022 (36.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 14 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 137 (2.5% of population)
#10. Yuma County
- Population: 9,938
- Born in Colorado: 6,096 (61.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,397 (24.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 30 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,415 (14.2% of population)
#9. Pueblo County
- Population: 168,135
- Born in Colorado: 104,555 (62.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 55,418 (33.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,982 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 6,180 (3.7% of population)
#8. Rio Grande County
- Population: 11,442
- Born in Colorado: 7,162 (62.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,681 (32.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 149 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 450 (3.9% of population)
#7. Phillips County
- Population: 4,493
- Born in Colorado: 2,834 (63.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,037 (23.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4 (0.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 618 (13.8% of population)
#6. Prowers County
- Population: 11,968
- Born in Colorado: 7,736 (64.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,060 (25.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 94 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,078 (9.0% of population)
#5. Bent County
- Population: 5,561
- Born in Colorado: 3,659 (65.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,694 (30.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5 (0.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 203 (3.7% of population)
#4. Alamosa County
- Population: 16,460
- Born in Colorado: 10,919 (66.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,630 (28.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 140 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 771 (4.7% of population)
#3. Washington County
- Population: 4,817
- Born in Colorado: 3,242 (67.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,419 (29.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 15 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 141 (2.9% of population)
#2. Otero County
- Population: 18,580
- Born in Colorado: 12,508 (67.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,128 (27.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 178 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 766 (4.1% of population)
#1. Conejos County
- Population: 7,553
- Born in Colorado: 5,405 (71.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,869 (24.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 77 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 202 (2.7% of population)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
