In 2003, a tough year economically, Colorado still rose to the top of the Corporation for Enterprise Development's 2003 Development Report Card. The study grades states in economic performance, business vitality, and development capacity and cited that Colorado’s economy continues to outperform much of the rest of the nation. Colorado's well-educated workforce provides companies with plenty of opportunity for expansion (the state is number one in the nation for percentage of residents with a college degree). Colorado is one of only 8 states to receive all "As" and "Bs"in the report card.

Colorado ranked fourth overall in the Progressive Policy Institute's State New Economy Rankings for 2002. The study ranks areas such as workforce, education, and innovation capacity.

According to Denver Newspaper Agency, Colorado income ranks 9th. Metro Denver average household income is $81,503 and we rank 4th in $50,000+ households. Over a third of our households fall into the $75,000+ income category. If Metro Denver were a state, it would rank 2nd in the nation. 5-year income growth projections rank 1st in the US.

Metro Denver is the second most white collar market in the nation and home to 56% of all Colorado white collar jobs. Metro Denver unemployment consistently ranks below the national average.

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the five-county Denver PMSA has added the fifth greatest number of jobs of the 53 largest metropolitan areas in the country (those with an employment base of 600,000 or more). From January through August 2002, the Denver PMSA added 25,300 jobs, a 2.2% increase.

Colorado ranked third in the nation in the Milken Institute's 2001 New Economy Index, a 12-measure ranking to determine states that are best poised for high tech growth. Colorado placed in the top ten for nearly all of the criteria. The study ranked states in areas such as exports, research funding, number of patents issued, new business starts, and venture capital investment.

Rankings for Denver International Airport (DIA) :

• In 2004, Skytrax rated Denver International Airport third best in North America.
• In July 2002 Time Magazine named DIA the nation's best run airport.
• DIA was named one of five finalists for "Best Airport" in the world by Official Airline Guides' Worldwide Airline of the Year Awards 2001. Global business travelers voted in the awards.
• in 2004, JD Power and Associates ranked DIA second among large airports for customer satisfaction and also named it the second best airport in the country for layovers, due to its aesthetics, restaurants, and shopping amenities.
• Consumer Reports magazine rated DIA highly in nearly all of its categories.

Colorado is less "taxing" than many states, according to the 2003 State Business Tax Climate Index. Colorado has the fourth most business-friendly tax climate. According to the April 2001 Bloomberg Personal Finance magazine's ratings, Colorado ranks 12th in the U.S. for collecting less money in taxes from state residents.

Colorado ranked 12th in the nation for its entrepreneurial environment, according to a 2002 study by the Washington D.C.-based Small Business Survival Committee. The rankings are based on 20 major government-imposed or government-related costs that impact small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The Milken Institute's 2004 National State Technology & Science Index ranks Colorado as the #3 state for comprehensive inventory of technology and science assets. Colorado's index rating was 78.77, far above the national average of 52.64. The index uses 75 indicators in five categories to measure how well a state will perform in today’s knowledge-based economy. The five composite categories are:

• Research and development inputs
• Risk capital and entrepreneurial infrastructure
• Human capital investment
• Technology and science workforce
• Technology concentration and dynamism.

Colorado ranks #1 in IT jobs at non-tech firms, #2 in high-tech jobs and #8 for mangers, professionals, technicians, scientists and engineers, according to the Denver Newspaper Agency. The state serves as home to more than 100,000 aerospace employees and 2,800 software companies. Eleven Colorado companies are ranked among the 500 fastest-growing technology companies in the United States and Canada.

Metro Denver is the ONLY market in the country that ranks in the Top 20 for each of the five convergence industry clusters – telecommunications service, telecommunications equipment, computer software, computer storage and biomedical industries.

Colorado ranked seventh among the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country for having an advanced, high-tech, highly adaptive economy necessary to thrive in the new millennium, according to the New Economy Index for 2001 published by the Progressive Policy Institute. Denver ranked in the top 10 in nine of the study's 16 categories:

• second for broadband access
• fourth for overall internet infrastructure, managerial and professional jobs, and education of its workforce
• fifth for the number of high tech jobs
• sixth in the number of new, publicly traded companies and for the amount of venture capital in the region
• seventh for residents who use the Internet
• 14th for patents issued to local inventors

SRI International of Menlo Park, CA placed Colorado first in the nation in a 2002 business benchmark study it performed. The report assessed seven categories considered important to a healthy technology economy. Colorado surpassed all other states in overall score in seven key categories, including human investment, financial resources, innovation resources, infrastructure, business costs, globalization and vitality, and quality of life.

The Progressive Policy Institute ranked Denver 10th among all states for e-commerce. The report ranked states by the extent to which their laws, regulations, and administrative actions support Internet use by consumers.

The American Electronics Association ranked Colorado in first place in concentration of high tech workers in its Cyberstates 2003 report.

Jefferson County has the highest median household income in the Front Range of Colorado - $60,834 - according to Census 2000 data. The County ranks 29th in the nation for median household income.

Colorado led the nation in personal income growth from 1990 to 2000, with an average annual growth rate of 5.1 percent, according to information released in May 2002 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Business Week ranked Denver sixth - tied with Chicago - in a 2002 ranking of cities in the U.S. where people say they would most like to live.

Denver ranked seventh in the Morgan Quitno Press 2002 Most Livable State Award. To determine a state's "Livability Rating," each state's rankings for 43 categories were averaged.

A March 2001 issue of Child Magazine rated Denver as the best U.S. city for families. The magazine ranked 103 U.S. cities based on various criteria, with high emphasis placed on health related issues. In the study, Denver received high marks in the number of pediatricians per capita, the abundance of hiking/biking trails and parks, immunization rates, number of sunny days, and potential for job growth in the future.

The Denver Public Library was named the best library in the nation in 2002 among libraries located in cities with 500,000 or more residents for the second year in a row. Hennen's American Public Library Ratings Index scored the nation's libraries based on per capital spending on materials, visits, reference questions, and circulation of materials.

Population Connection rated Denver in its top three cities both for public safety and community life. Factors considered were:

• Number Violent Crimes per 1000 Persons
• Number Property Crimes per 1000 Persons
• Park Acres per 1000 Persons
• Library Circulation per Child
• Children's Program Attendance Counts

The City of Westminster was selected as one of 10 "exceptional" places in the U.S. in the book entitled, "Making Places Special: Stories of Real Places Made Better by Planning," by Gene Bunnell. Bunnell praised Westminster for developing an identity through gateway signs and landmarks, creating beautiful developments through high design standards, and for implementing innovative community programs.

Colorado ranked third in the U.S., just behind Hawaii and New York, as the third most desirable tourist destination in 2000, according to Yankelovitch Brothers Travel Monitor.

Two metro Denver hospitals rated highly in the U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospital rankings in 2002. The Children's Hospital - Denver ranked fourth in Pediatrics and Craig Hospital ranked sixth in Rehabilitation.

A 2002 report in Men's Fitness magazine ranked Denver as the nation's sixth fittest city. Men's Fitness cited that key factors such as amount of parks and open space, commute time, and quality of air and water contribute to a city's fitness level. Denver has been ranked highly in the magazine for the past four years.

In fact, several organizations and magazines give Denver high ratings for fitness:

• In 2004, the American Podiatric Medical Association ranked Denver the 6th best walking city nationwide. They surveyed the most populated cities and then examined them for walker friendly characteristics, such as how many people walk to work each day, safe air quality, number of parks, how many podiatrists are available to keep your feet healthy and happy and how many health clubs and sports stores there are to serve walkers. Denver has a government-appointed walking coordinator to develop special walking programs and encourage more walking within the city.
• Data from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that among 33 of the largest U.S. cities, Denver has the "thinnest" citizens.
• According to an American Cancer Society 2002 report, Colorado is the only state in the nation in which fewer than half of the adults are overweight. The organization also cited that due to the state's high rate of physical activity, Colorado has the nation's third lowest cancer death rate.
• Colorado tied with Hawaii as being the least obese state in the nation, with a 14.9 percent obesity rate, according to a survey appearing in the May 22-29, 2002 Journal of the American Medical Association.
• Boston-based IHRSA ranks Denver fifth in the nation for gym participation. Approximately 17.1 percent of Denver residents belong to health clubs.
• Due to Denver's water quality, per capital share of natural food markets, and sunny climate, Natural Health Magazine named Denver the third healthiest city the country.
• Rollerblade.com ranked Denver fifth among the U.S. cities for rollerblading, with 15 of every 100 residents participating in the sport during their spare time.

According to 2003 data, the Denver market is the most educated market in America, with the highest percentage of college-educated adults (72%) of any market in the country. Coloradans as a whole are the best educated in the country–number one in the nation for percentage of residents with a bachelor’s degree. Year 2000 data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that 34.6 percent of Colorado residents age 25 or older have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Colorado ranks number six in the U.S. for percentage of residents with a high school diploma, at 89.7 percent.

Jefferson County is part of the "intellectual hub" of the Rocky Mountain region. Lakewood, was merged with Boulder and Aurora by the internet magazine Demographics Daily, which ranked the three cities as the seventh top brain center in the United States for 2001. Rankings are based on the number of residents with bachelor degrees. Demographics Daily ranked areas with educational levels at least 50 percent above the national average.

Based on third through tenth grade CSAP scores from the 2001-2002 school year, the State of Colorado has rated more than half of the schools in Jefferson County "excellent" or "high." No schools in Jefferson County were rated "unsatisfactory."

Colorado ranked ninth in the U.S. for quality of teaching and teaching accountability in a national study by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. States were judged in four categories: school control over hiring, non-traditional paths into teaching, teacher accountability for student progress, and teachers who teach the subject they know best.