Multiple Colorado cities ranked among fastest-growing in nation

According to an analysis released in late 2020 by WalletHub, Colorado is home to several cities that are among the fastest-growing in the nation.

The analysis sorted cities by size, with 'large' cities consisting of those with more than 300,000 residents, 'midsize' cities consisting of those with a population between 100,000 and 300,000, and 'small' cities consisting of cities with fewer than 100,000 residents.

On the 'large' cities list of 66 places around the country, three Colorado spots were included. Denver ranked the highest in 5th, closely followed by nearby Aurora in 8th. Colorado Springs was also on the list, ranking 25th among the 66.

On the list of 256 'midsize' cities, Greeley ranked 30th, Fort Collins ranked 37th, Lakewood ranked 46th, Thornton ranked 67th, Arvada ranked 69th, Centennial ranked 93rd, Westminster ranked 127th, Boulder ranked 139th, and Pueblo ranked 146th.

Among 193 'small' cities, Longmont ranked 19th, Loveland ranked 23rd, and Highlands Ranch ranked 154th.

Cities were ranked based on a score that was comprised of a number of related factors, not just population growth. Outside of population growth, criteria like job growth, unemployment rate decrease, increase in startups, and median house price growth were considered, among many other factors. This helped to create a score that allowed for easier comparison across city size.

Denver scored the highest among all Colorado cities with an overall growth score of 62. This compares to Henderson, Nevada's 68.61, which topped out the 'large' cities list, Bend, Oregon's 79.04 at the top of the 'midsize' cities, and Fort Myers, Florida's 80.36, which led the 'small' cities ranking. The highest ranked 'midsize' city in Colorado was Greeley, with a score of 60.66, and the highest ranked 'small' city was Longmont, with a score of 56.82.

See the full study and methodology here.