Colorado was admitted into statehood on August 1, 1876. Incidentally this day also marked the centennial year of the United States Declaration of Independence, which gave Colorado the nickname “Centennial State”.
The state is well-known for its backdrop of mountains, plains, mesas and canyons, with the largest mesa in the world, called the Grand Mesa, located in Western Colorado. It has a population of 5,024,748 (2009 est.)*. Denver, the state’s capital, is also the most heavily populated in the state.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the gross state product of Colorado in 2008 was at $248 billion.** Early in the history of Colorado, the economy was based on agricultural products and extraction and processing of minerals. Today, agricultural products consist of cattle, dairy products, corn, hay and wheat. The state’s economy is largely dominated by the federal government with many important facilities and agencies. Other contributors to Colorado’s economy are transportation equipment; machinery; chemical products; gold, silver and molybdenum extraction; and food processing.
Colorado’s unemployment rate as of August 2010 was reported to be at 8.1%.***
| Unemployment Agency | Website | Phone Number | State |
| Dept. of Labor & Employment | Colorado Website | Colorado Unemployment Benefits |
Below is a list of the 50 largest employers in Colorado:****
| Employer | City |
| UNIVERSITY OF CO-BOULDER | Boulder |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN SPACE SYSTEMS | Littleton |
| PETERSON AFB | Peterson Afb |
| 50TH SPACEWING | Colorado Springs |
| IBM | Boulder |
| TRANSPORTATION SAFETY OFFICE | Denver |
| COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY | Fort Collins |
| SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE | Colorado Springs |
| UNINVERSITY OF CO-DENVER | Denver |
| FRONT RANGE EMERGENCY SPECS | Colorado Springs |
| HEWLETT-PACKARD | Colorado Springs |
| MEDICAL CENTER OF CENTERRA | Loveland |
| POUDRE VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEMS | Fort Collins |
| POUDRE VALLEY HOSPITA | Fort Collins |
| QWEST TELECHOICE | Denver |
| VERIZON WIRELESS | Colorado Springs |
| UNIVERSITY-NORTHERN COLORADO | Greeley |
| MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN | Colorado Springs |
| PRINTERS PERSONNEL | Denver |
| AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. | Colorado Springs |
| GREAT WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INS | Greenwood Village |
| GREAT WEST LIFE & ANNUITY INS | Greenwood Village |
| LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS INC. | Broomfield |
| MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM BREAST | Colorado Springs |
| PENROSE ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL | Colorado Springs |
| ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL | Golden |
| ST. ANTHONY CENTRAL HOSPITAL | Denver |
| COLORADO SPRINGS DISTRICT 11 | Colorado Springs |
| JBS SWIFT & CO | Greeley |
| BANNER HEALTH | Greeley |
| ELITCH GARDENS | Denver |
| LUTHERAN MEDICAL CTR FNDTN | Wheat Ridge |
| MOLSON COORS BREWING CO | Denver |
| ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL | Denver |
| FORT COLLINS COMMUNICATION OFC | Fort Collins |
| SCHWAN’S HOME FOOD SVC | Castle Rock |
| OXBOW MINING | Somerset |
| ST. MARY’S HOSP & REGL MED CTR | Grand Junction |
| ATMEL CORP | Colorado Springs |
| CARGILL MEAT SOLUTIONS | Fort Morgan |
| COPPER MOUNTAIN RESORT | Frisco |
| DISH NETWORK CORP | Englewood |
| DURANGO MOUNTAIN RESORT | Durango |
| HEWLETT-PACKARD | Fort Collins |
| NORTH COLORADO MEDICAL CTR | Greeley |
| PARKVIEW MEDICAL CTR | Pueblo |
| TRAVELPORT GDS | Centennial |
| US POST OFFICE | Denver |
| WELLS FARGO BANK | Denver |
| BOULDER COMMUNITY HOSPITAL | Boulder |
Sources:
* http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html
** http://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/action.cfm
*** http://data.bls.gov:8080/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet;jsessionid=623075f07a1079311a5c
**** http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview6.asp?soccode=&stfips=08&from=State&id=11&nodeid=12