Denver metropolitan area
is the central city of a conurbation region in the U.S. state of Colorado. The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. The Denver region is part of the Front Range Urban Corridor and its metropolitan planning organization is the Denver Regional Council of Governments. The area is also referred to as Greater Denver.
The United States Office of Management and Budget has delineated the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area consisting of ten Colorado counties: the City and County of Denver, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, Adams County, Douglas County, the City and County of Broomfield, Elbert County, Park County, Clear Creek County, and Gilpin County. The population, as of the 2020 Census, is 2,963,821, an increase of 16.5% since 2010.
The Office of Management and Budget also delineated the more extensive 12-county Denver–Aurora–Greeley, CO Combined Statistical Area comprising the Denver–Aurora–Centennial Metropolitan Statistical Area, the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The central part of the metropolitan statistical area includes Denver and three immediately adjacent counties: Jefferson County to the west, Adams County to the north and east, and Arapahoe County to the south and east. The continuously urbanized area extends northwest into the City and County of Broomfield, bordering Jefferson and Adams counties, and south into Douglas County, adjoining Arapahoe County. Also included in the federally defined MSA are four rural counties: Elbert County on the southeastern prairie and Clear Creek, Gilpin, and Park counties in the Rocky Mountains.
Counties
The Denver–Aurora–Centennial Metropolitan Statistical Area comprises ten counties. The sortable table below includes the following information:- The official name of the county,
- The county population as of April 1, 2020, as enumerated by the 2020 United States census
- The county population as of April 1, 2010, as enumerated by the 2010 United States census,
- The percent population change from April 1, 2010, to April 1, 2020.
| County | 2010 Census | 2020 Census | Change |
| City and County of Denver | - | - | |
| Arapahoe County | - | - | |
| Jefferson County | - | - | |
| Adams County | - | - | |
| Douglas County | - | - | |
| City and County of Broomfield | - | - | |
| Elbert County | - | - | |
| Park County | - | - | |
| Clear Creek County | - | - | |
| Gilpin County | - | - | |
| Total | - | - |
Metropolitan area cities and towns
Places with over 100,000 inhabitants
- Arvada
- Aurora
- Centennial
- Denver
- Highlands Ranch
- Lakewood
- Thornton
- Westminster
Places with 10,000 to 100,000 inhabitants
- Berkley
- Brighton
- Broomfield
- Castle Pines
- Castle Rock
- Columbine
- Commerce City
- Englewood
- Federal Heights
- Golden
- Greenwood Village
- Ken Caryl
- Littleton
- Lone Tree
- Northglenn
- Parker
- Sherrelwood
- The Pinery
- Welby
- Wheat Ridge
Places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants
- Acres Green
- Applewood
- Alma
- Aspen Park
- Bailey
- Bennett
- Black Hawk
- Bow Mar
- Byers
- Carriage Club
- Pines
- Central City
- Cherry Hills Village
- Coal Creek
- Columbine Valley
- Conifer
- Cottonwood
- Deer Trail
- Derby
- Downieville-Lawson-Dumont
- East Pleasant View
- Edgewater
- Elizabeth
- Empire
- Evergreen
- Fairplay
- Foxfield
- Franktown
- Genesee
- Georgetown
- Glendale
- Grand View Estates
- Hartsel
- Heritage Hills
- Idaho Springs
- Indian Hills
- Kiowa
- Kittredge
- Lakeside
- Larkspur
- Lochbuie
- Louviers
- Meridian
- Montbello
- Morrison
- Mountain View
- North Washington
- Perry Park
- Ponderosa Park
- Roxborough Park
- Sedalia
- Sheridan
- Silver Plume
- Simla
- St. Mary's
- Stonegate
- Strasburg
- Todd Creek
- Twin Lakes
- Watkins
- Westcreek
- West Pleasant View
Communities previously part of the Denver metro area
Now part of the Boulder metropolitan area
- Boulder
- Longmont
- Lafayette
- Louisville
- Superior
Now part of the Greeley metropolitan area
- Dacono
- Firestone
- Fort Lupton
- Frederick
Regional cooperation
- The Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- The Denver Zoo
- The Denver Art Museum
- The Denver Center for the Performing Arts
- The Denver Botanic Gardens
Economy
The most prosperous parts of the area are in the south and the northwest, while the most industrialized areas are in the northeast, specifically in the northern part of Denver proper and extending to areas such as Commerce City in Adams County.Changes in house prices for the area are publicly tracked on a regular basis using the Case–Shiller index; the statistic is published by Standard & Poor's and is also a component of S&P's 10-city composite index of the value of the residential real estate market. The Denver MSA is also home to one of the fastest growing tech scenes outside of Silicon Valley in the country.
Electricity is provided by Xcel Energy. Cable television is provided by Comcast.
Sports
The following table shows sports teams in the Denver metropolitan area that average more than 12,000 fans per game:| Club | Sport | League | Venue | City | Capacity | Attendance | Since | Titles |
| Denver Broncos | Football | NFL | Mile High | Denver | 76,125 | 76,939 | 1960 | 3 |
| Colorado Rockies | Baseball | MLB | Coors Field | Denver | 50,398 | 31,334 | 1993 | 0 |
| Colorado Avalanche | Ice hockey | NHL | Ball Arena | Denver | 18,007 | 16,176 | 1995 | 3 |
| Colorado Rapids | Soccer | MLS | Dick's Sporting Goods Park | Commerce City | 18,061 | 15,657 | 1996 | 1 |
| Denver Nuggets | Basketball | NBA | Ball Arena | Denver | 19,115 | 14,700 | 1967 | 1 |
| Colorado Mammoth | Box Lacrosse | NLL | Ball Arena | Denver | 18,007 | 14,077 | 2003 | 2 |