Thornton, CO

Census Place

2024 Population

144,187

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

34.7

1.17% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

7.02%

3.94% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$103,088

2.08% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$517,500

Population & Diversity

Thornton, CO is home to a population of 144k people, from which 91% are citizens.

As of 2024, 14% of Thornton, CO residents were born outside of the country (20.2k people).

In 2024, there were 3.53 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (72.4k people) in Thornton, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 20.5k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 15.5k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91%

2024 Citizenship

90.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91% of Thornton, CO residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Thornton, CO was 90.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Thornton, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Thornton, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
72.4k ± 1.91k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
20.5k ± 2.04k
Other (Hispanic)
15.5k ± 1.92k

37.7%

Hispanic Population

54.3k people

37.7% of the people in Thornton, CO are hispanic (54.3k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Thornton, CO as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Colorado.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
205,206 ± 10,925 people
India
23,918 ± 3,789 people
China
18,011 ± 3,290 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Colorado was Mexico, the natal country of 205,206 Colorado residents, followed by India with 23,918 and China with 18,011.

Foreign-Born Population

14%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

20.2k people

14.4%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

20.6k people

As of 2024, 14% of Thornton, CO residents (20.2k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Thornton, CO was 14.4%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Thornton, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,865 ± 284
Gulf War (2001-)
1,843 ± 389
Gulf War (1990s)
1,563 ± 425

Thornton, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.01 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Thornton, CO.

Economy

The economy of Thornton, CO employs 78.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Thornton, CO were Retail Trade (9,513 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (9,434 people), and Construction (7,752 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($122,292), Utilities ($97,178), and Information ($91,010).

Employment

Occupations

78.9k

2024 Value

± 2,497

1.56%

1 Year growth

± 4.38%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Thornton, CO grew at a rate of 1.56%, from 77.6k employees to 78.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Thornton, CO, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,637 people), Management Occupations (9,636 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (7,371 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Thornton, CO.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Colorado (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

78.9k

2024 Value

± 2,497

1.56%

1 Year growth

± 4.38%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Thornton, CO grew at a rate of 1.56%, from 77.6k employees to 78.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Thornton, CO, are Retail Trade (9,513 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (9,434 people), and Construction (7,752 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Thornton, CO, though some of these residents may live in Thornton, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$62,273

Median earning men ± $1,607

$47,673

Median earning women ± $2,086

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($108,482), Public Administration ($93,967), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($86,301).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($121,786), Information ($77,083), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($67,882).

Education

The student population of Thornton, CO in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 4 male students and 145 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Thornton, CO are Hispanic or Latino (17 and 42.5%), Unknown (13 and 32.5%), White (8 and 20%), and Asian (1 and 2.5%).

The largest universities in Thornton, CO by number of degrees awarded are Empire Beauty School-Thornton (40 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Thornton, CO are General Cosmetology (40 and 100%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 149 students enrolled in Thornton, CO, 2.68% men and 97.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 75 records, of which 97.3% were women and 2.67% men.

Completions

Concentrations

General Cosmetology

Most Common

40 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Thornton, CO was General Cosmetology with 40 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Thornton, CO according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Empire Beauty School-Thornton

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

40 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Empire Beauty School-Thornton with 40 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Thornton, CO, which is 0.0256 times less than the 39 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 17 degrees mean that there were 1.31 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 13 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Thornton, CO was $517,500 in 2024, which is 1.56 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $482,200 to $517,500, a 7.32% increase. The homeownership rate in Thornton, CO is 71.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Thornton, CO have an average commute time of 30.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Thornton, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$517,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,205

$36,109

Median Property Taxes

±$1,445

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Thornton, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Thornton, CO compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

71.4%

Homeownership

2024

71.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.4% of the housing units in Thornton, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 73.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Thornton, CO compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$103,088

Median Household Income

± $2,467

50.6k

Number of Households

± 1,939

In 2024, the median household income of the 50.6k households in Thornton, CO grew to $103,088 from the previous year's value of $100,985.

The following chart displays the households in Thornton, CO distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Thornton, CO is from Colorado.

0.46

2024 Wage GINI in Colorado

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in Colorado

In 2024, the income inequality in Colorado was 0.46 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.498% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Colorado was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Colorado in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Colorado across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.1%)
Worked At Home (15.3%)
Carpooled (10.2%)

In 2024, 71.1% of workers in Thornton, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.3%) and those who carpooled to work (10.2%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Thornton, CO have a longer commute time (30.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.98% of the workforce in Thornton, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Thornton, CO compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Thornton, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Thornton, CO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

7.02% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Thornton, CO (10k out of 143k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Thornton, CO is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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