Colorado Town Has One of the Fastest-Growing Populations in the U.S.

A twenty-square-mile historic coal mining town is Colorado's hottest up-and-coming community, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report.

Erie, Colorado, has among the fastest-growing populations in the country, the report found, ranking fifteenth nationwide. It placed the highest of any Colorado community by far; the closest competitor was Parker at 100th place. In comparison, the capital city of Denver ranked 700th.

Erie's population jumped from 35,333 in July 2023 to 38,594 in July 2024 — an increase of 9.2 percent in one year. The town's population has more than doubled in the last fourteen years, previously sitting at 18,135 in 2010.

Located just west of Interstate 25 between Boulder and Fort Lupton, Erie offers residents a small-town feel while also having easy access to job markets in larger neighboring cities. It was established as a coal town in 1874. These days, it's known as an affluent residential community; the town was named the fourth fastest-growing wealthy suburb in the U.S. in January.

In 2023, the town's median household income was $163,644, compared to $91,681 in Denver and $92,470 statewide, according to U.S. Census data. The median value of owner-occupied housing in Erie that year was $685,900, versus $586,700 in Denver and $502,200 across Colorado as a whole.

"The reasons people call Colorado home often include a passion for the outdoors, a diverse and dynamic community, and the contemporary pace to life that appeals to all ages," the town's website reads. "As you'll soon discover, the Town of Erie offers the best of all of these."

Only fourteen cities had higher population growth rates than Erie between 2023 and 2024, ranging from first-place Princeton, Texas (30.6 percent) to fourteenth-place Leland, North Carolina (9.4 percent).

A whopping seven of the top fifteen fastest-growing cities are located in Texas. Two other states had multiple communities crack the top fifteen: Florida and North Carolina, with two each. Colorado is notably one of just two Democratic states that secured a place on the list, in addition to Minnesota.

Here is the rest of the national top fifteen:

1. Princeton, Texas
2. Fulshear, Texas
3. Leesburg, Florida
4. Celina, Texas
5. Anna, Texas
6. Haines City, Florida
7. Foley, Alabama
8. Fate, Texas
9. Rosemount, Minnesota
10. Garner, North Carolina
11. Melissa, Texas
12. Sugar Hill, Georgia
13. Hutto, Texas
14. Leland, North Carolina

And here are all of the other Colorado cities included in the top 500:

• Parker — 100th
• Windsor — 143rd
• Fountain — 168th
• Commerce City — 241st
• Englewood — 284th
• Loveland — 324th
• Castle Rock — 340th
• Brighton — 342nd
• Broomfield — 409th
• Grand Junction — 436th
• Greeley — 465th