The Colorado Workforce System recently released a report, Colorado Workforce Data Mining Project, that provides a three-page summary of the industries, occupations, and economic factors that drive each of the state's 64 counties. The report, authored by the BRD and peers from UCCS and CSU, highlights the distinctive competencies of the various regions within the state. The project was developed with the hope that partnerships will be created between these regions to more efficiently utilize limited resources and move the state out of the recession.
The following information from the report illustrates how stark some of the differences are between the Colorado counties:
• The Government; Professional Technical Services (PTS), Manufacturing, and Information sectors account for 47.5% of Boulder County's workforce, illustrating why it is the focal point of the state's high tech cluster. More specifically, a good portion of the employment can be attributed to the University of Colorado, the federal labs, and the advanced technology cluster. Boulder County has about 170,000 employees with average hourly earnings of $24.21.
• Approximately 1,000 people live in Mineral County. About 95% of the property is public lands and Creede is the only town in the county. On average the county's 500 workers earn $13.21 per hour. Almost 85% of the workers are employed in the following sectors: Accommodations and Food Services (AFS); Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (AER); Government; and Retail Trade.
• Slightly more than 84% of Gilpin County's workforce is employed in one of two sectors: AER and AFS. On average the county's 5,000 workers earn $13.99 per hour. Gilpin County employment is dominated by the gaming and hospitality industry in Black Hawk and Central City. Recent changes to the maximum betting limits are likely to have a significant impact on the growth of this county.
• Otero County (Southeast) is home to about 6,600 employees whose average hourly earnings are about $13.80. Almost half of the county's workers are either in the government or healthcare sector. Otero County is most frequently recognized by most Coloradans for its Rocky Ford cantaloupes.
• About 16,000 workers reside in Routt County. About 1/3 of the workers are employed in tourism or retail positions, while more than 21% are working in construction or real estate. An additional 12% are employed by the government. In addition, the county has a high concentration of mining workers, although this segment accounts for about 3% of the county workforce. Routt County workers make on average $17.97 per hour.
It is clear that the economic strengths of Colorado's counties are as diverse as its weather. From a long-term perspective, it is essential for government leaders, educators, economic developers and the private sector to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing the various regions within the state if Colorado to ensure the efficient development of our workforce and our state.
