DENVER – It’s no secret that Denver is growing – and quickly.
According to a new analysis of census data, the Denver metro area grew by nearly 300,000 people between 2010 and 2016, representing an increase of 11.7 percent during that time. That makes Denver the 28th fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country.
The analysis was a joint effort between lawn care service LawnStarter and moving service Bellhops Denver, which aimed to figure out where all those new residents are coming from.
The results may surprise some people: Census data show the biggest share of people moving to Denver from elsewhere in the United States – 25 percent -- are actually coming from other cities in Colorado.
Boulder is the biggest source of transplants, with 9,340 people leaving the city for Denver between 2011 and 2015. Colorado Springs was the second-biggest source of transplants, followed by Greeley and Fort Collins.
When looking only at migration from other states, Los Angeles takes the top spot with 3,922 people. California as a whole accounted for 11 percent of all new residents in Denver. Chicago, Dallas and Washington, DC aren’t far behind.
Here are the top 10 metro areas where new Denver residents have moved from:
1. Boulder, CO
2. Colorado Springs, CO
3. Greeley, CO
4. Fort Collins, CO
5. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
6. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
7. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
9. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
10. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
The LawnStarter/Bellhops analysis also looked at where Denver residents are moving to. Greeley attracts the highest number of Denver residents, followed by Fort Collins, Phoenix, Grand Junction and Seattle.
Demographically, Denver’s residents are overwhelmingly white and young, with people under 34 years old accounting for more than 57 percent of transplants. More than 82 percent of new residents are white and 13 percent are black.
To read the full report, head over to lawnstarter.com.
