From the Plains to the Peaks
A look at the contributions of immigrants to Colorado’s communities and economy

Since its founding, Colorado has been built and shaped by the contributions of immigrants. In every corner of the state one can feel the diverse contributions of people from all different places and cultures, coming together to create vibrant, dynamic, and welcoming communities, as well as an economy and workforce that leads the country in innovation and growth.

In lieu of meaningful federal reforms, local organizations, business leaders, and elected officials have worked together to advocate for and advance commonsense policies to protect immigrants and increase the benefits of their contributions, including policies that expand and protect access to higher education, professional licensure, driver’s licenses, and legal defense. FWD.us is proud to have worked alongside local leaders in these efforts over the past decade, and into the future.

This report highlights Colorado’s immigrant populations, how their contributions benefit the whole state, and how choices about the future of immigration policy in America will impact all Coloradans in the years to come.

Immigrants from all backgrounds call Colorado home

An estimated 720,000 immigrants live in Colorado, making up 12% of the total population. Immigrants live in 16% of households in Colorado. In the Denver metro area, 494,000 immigrants make up 16% of the total population, living in 19% of households.

Immigrants of all backgrounds boost Colorado’s communities. Some 269,000 immigrants, or about 37% of all immigrants in Colorado, are U.S. citizens. About 149,000 are lawful permanent residents, and 47,000 are temporary immigrants (including nonimmigrant visa holders and international students).

An estimated 8% of individuals in Colorado, or some 458,000, are either undocumented immigrants or live with an undocumented immigrant. Some 80,000 U.S. citizen children in Colorado live with an undocumented parent, while some 23,000 U.S. citizen spouses are married to an undocumented immigrant. Some 110,000 undocumented individuals in Colorado have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years, with 65,000 of those living in the U.S. for more than 20 years.

Dreamers—undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children before 2021 and are either in school or have graduated from high school—number 41,000. Some 12,000 are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders—immigrants who cannot safely return to their home countries—number 28,000, while an estimated 75,000 immigrants in Colorado are waiting for a decision on their asylum claim.

Colorado’s immigrant population is highly integrated into the state’s communities. Some 92% of immigrants in Colorado speak English, about 55% are homeowners, and 74% have lived in the U.S. for a decade or longer. Some 21% of Colorado’s population lives in a household with at least one immigrant.

With work authorization, immigrants in different statuses are able to work, support their families, and contribute to communities

Some 190,000 immigrant workers in Colorado are naturalized U.S. citizens, an estimated 90,000 are lawful permanent residents, and 35,000 have a nonimmigrant status, like H-1B visa workers or other temporary immigrant visas. Together, these U.S. citizens and people with some form of legal status make up 9% of Colorado’s total labor force.

Additionally, FWD.us estimates that nearly 160,000 workers in Colorado are immigrants without legal status or with temporary protections, representing about 5% of the total workforce. Through their wages, they contribute more than $6.7 billion to the economy annually, with nearly $1.9 billion in combined federal, state, and local taxes.

Immigrant groups currently protected from deportation and authorized to work—DACA recipients, TPS holders, people seeking asylum, and those waiting for a permanent residency visa—make up an estimated 63,000 workers in Colorado’s labor force, and pay an estimated $279 million annually in state and local taxes.

These workers have become critical to the labor infrastructure of the state, as larger shares are employed in sectors like building and grounds occupations (19% of all building and grounds jobs), construction (18%), and agricultural (14%).

Immigrant workers without legal status or with temporary protections are also highly integrated into Colorado’s communities and society, with about a third owning homes.