At last count, there were 174,020 private sector Colorado establishments. It will come as a surprise to some that 99.95% of the Colorado establishments have fewer than 1,000 employees.
In fact there are 83 establishments with 1,000 or more employees and there are 161 with 500 to 999 employees. About 88.6% of Colorado’s establishments have fewer than 20 workers.
BLS is very specific about what an “establishments” is. This is illustrated by the following definition from the Glossary on their website.
The physical location of a certain economic activity—for example, a factory, mine, store, or office. A single establishment generally produces a single good or provides a single service. An enterprise (a private firm, government, or nonprofit organization) can consist of a single establishment or multiple establishments. All establishments in an enterprise may be classified in one industry (e.g., a chain), or they may be classified in different industries (e.g., a conglomerate).
| Number of Colorado Establishments by Size Category | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Number | Percentage | Cumulative Percentage |
| Fewer than 5 employees per establishment | 108,973 | 62.62% | 62.62% |
| 5 to 9 employees per establishment | 26,697 | 15.34% | 77.96% |
| 10 to 19 employees per establishment | 18,537 | 10.65% | 88.61% |
| 20 to 49 employees per establishment | 12,932 | 7.43% | 96.05% |
| 50 to 99 employees per establishment | 4,070 | 2.34% | 98.38% |
| 100 to 249 employees per establishment | 2,074 | 1.19% | 99.58% |
| 250 to 499 employees per establishment | 493 | 0.28% | 99.86% |
| 500 to 999 employees per establishment | 161 | 0.09% | 99.95% |
| 1000 or more employees per establishment | 83 | 0.05% | 100.00% |
| Total | 174 | 020 | 100.00% |
| Source: BLS |