Research Corner: Commuting patterns in Colorado municipalities

Many Coloradans do not work in the same municipality where they live. For many, this is due to personal preference, while others may face barriers to accessing housing within their means closer to where they work. 

The U.S. Census Bureau’s OnTheMap tool is a useful resource in assessing the inflow and outflow of workers in a given area using census data. Users may also analyze workplace and residential characteristics, and access data for different labor market segments. 

Below is an example of results of the inflow/outflow analysis using OnTheMap using the most recent data from 2022. We can see that generally, more people live outside and work within the sample municipalities, with the exception of Greeley. In each municipality, nearly 50% or more of the town’s residents work outside of the municipality, while 60% or more of employees in each town live outside of the jurisdiction.