Thornton, CO

Census Place

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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
7.32% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
78,851
1.56% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Thornton, CO reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

91% of the residents in Thornton, CO are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Thornton, CO are Empire Beauty School-Thornton (35 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Thornton, CO was $517,500, and the homeownership rate was 71.4%.

Most people in Thornton, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Thornton, CO was 2 cars per household.

United StatesColoradoAdams County, COWeld County, CODenver-Aurora-Lakewood, COGreeley, COBroomfield PUMA, COSouth Weld PUMA, COThornton PUMA, COBrighton PUMA, COCommerce City PUMA, CO

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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Thornton, CO
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    72.4k ± 1.91k
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    20.5k ± 2.04k
  3. Other (Hispanic)
    15.5k ± 1.92k
37.7%
Hispanic Population
54.3k 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Colorado.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    203,143 ± 10,870 people
  2. India
    22,453 ± 3,672 people
  3. China
    17,281 ± 3,223 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Colorado was Mexico, the natal country of 203,143 Colorado residents, followed by India with 22,453 and China with 17,281.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    1,865 ± 284
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,843 ± 389
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.
Y-Axis
1.73%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.87M people employed in Colorado. This represents a 1.73% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Colorado.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Colorado went to Kamala Harris with 54.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing the state of Colorado. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Colorado is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Thornton, CO. Showing the available data for Colorado.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (54.1%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (43.1%)
    Republican Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.12%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Colorado went to Kamala Harris with 54.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Colorado for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Colorado

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.
Michael Bennet
Senator from Colorado3
Assumed office on January 21, 2009
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Ken Salazar, who had become Secretary of the Interior.
John Hickenlooper
Senator from Colorado2
Assumed office on January 3, 2021

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing Colorado.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Colorado over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Thornton, CO awarded 35 degrees. The student population of Thornton, CO in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 3 male students and 101 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Thornton, CO are Hispanic or Latino (15 and 42.9%), Unknown (9 and 25.7%), White (8 and 22.9%), and Two or More Races (2 and 5.71%).

The largest universities in Thornton, CO by number of degrees awarded are Empire Beauty School-Thornton (35 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Thornton, CO are General Cosmetology (35 and 100%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 104 students enrolled in Thornton, CO, 2.88% men and 97.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 43 records, of which 97.7% were women and 2.33% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

General Cosmetology
Most Common
35 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Thornton, CO was General Cosmetology with 35 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.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Empire Beauty School-Thornton
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
35 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Empire Beauty School-Thornton with 35 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 0 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Thornton, CO, which is 0 times less than the 35 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 15 degrees mean that there were 1.67 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 9 degrees awarded.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Thornton, CO is from Colorado.
0.462
2023 Wage GINI in Colorado
0.464
2022 Wage GINI in Colorado

In 2023, the income inequality in Colorado was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Colorado was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (71.1%)
  2. Worked At Home (15.3%)
  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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Health

90.1% of the population of Thornton, CO has health coverage, with 54.3% on employee plans, 16.1% on Medicaid, 8.24% on Medicare, 10.6% on non-group plans, and 0.956% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Colorado see 1,207 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,207 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1161 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 204 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.3% under 18 years, 24.3% between 18 and 34 years, 38.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 10.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

9.9%
Uninsured
54.3%
Employer Coverage
16.1%
Medicaid
8.24%
Medicare
10.6%
Non-Group
0.956%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Thornton, CO grew by 4.55% from 9.47% to 9.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Thornton, CO changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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