Colorado manufacturers produce coffee (Boyer’s Coffee) and beer (Coors). These types of products are classified as nondurable goods. Durable goods products include satellites (Ball Aerospace), air safety devices (Particle Measuring Systems), or ice making machines (Ice-O-Matic).
Many manufacturers create primary jobs – that is an economic development term. Many primary job creators pay higher than average wages. In addition, they attract outside investment to our local communities. In other words, their products are exported outside the state. As well, they often have higher “multiplier” effects. In non-economic terms that means they have a local supply chain.
The concentration, or location quotient (LQ), for Colorado manufacturing was .65 in 2012 (calculated using the most recent QCEW data). In other words, Colorado has a much lower concentration of manufacturers than the U.S.
The majority of manufacturers are located in the Denver MSA; however, Northern Colorado and Boulder have the highest concentration of manufacturing employees.
