Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Skyline of Downtown Denver
Denver–Aurora–Greeley, COCSA   City and County of Denver   Denver–Aurora–CentennialMSA   Boulder MSA   Greeley MSA
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Largest city	-Denver
Other principal cities	• Arvada  • Aurora  • Broomfield  • Centennial  • Lakewood  • Thornton
Area
• Total	8,405 sq mi (21,770 km2)
Population  (April 1, 2020)
• Total	2,963,821
GDP [1]
• Total	$311.876 billion (2023)
Time zone	UTC−7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)

Denver is the central city of aconurbation region in the U.S. state ofColorado. The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. The Denver region is part of theFront Range Urban Corridor and its metropolitan planning organization is theDenver Regional Council of Governments. The area is also referred to asGreater Denver.

TheUnited States Office of Management and Budget has delineated theDenver–Aurora–Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area consisting of ten Coloradocounties: theCity and County of Denver,Arapahoe County,Jefferson County,Adams County,Douglas County, theCity and County of Broomfield,Elbert County,Park County,Clear Creek County, andGilpin County.^[2] The population, as of the 2020 Census, is 2,963,821, an increase of 16.5% since 2010.^[3]

The Office of Management and Budget also delineated the more extensive 12-countyDenver–Aurora–Greeley, CO Combined Statistical Area comprising the Denver–Aurora–Centennial Metropolitan Statistical Area, theBoulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, and theGreeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area.^[2]

The central part of the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes Denver and three immediately adjacent counties: Jefferson County to the west, Adams County to the north and east, and Arapahoe County to the south and east. The continuously urbanized area extends northwest into theCity and County of Broomfield, bordering Jefferson and Adams counties, and south into Douglas County, adjoining Arapahoe County. Also included in the federally defined MSA are four rural counties:Elbert County on the southeastern prairie andClear Creek,Gilpin, andPark counties in theRocky Mountains.

The Denver–Aurora–Centennial Metropolitan Statistical Area comprises ten counties.^[4] The sortable table below includes the following information:

1. The official name of the county,^[5]
2. The county population as of April 1, 2020, as enumerated by the2020 United States census
3. The county population as of April 1, 2010, as enumerated by the2010 United States census,^[6]
4. The percent population change from April 1, 2010, to April 1, 2020.

TheDenver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG, pronounced Doctor Cog) is a regional planning and inter-governmental coordination organization in a nine-county region. TheScientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) provides funding for scientific and cultural facilities in a seven-county region including:

• TheDenver Museum of Nature and Science
• TheDenver Zoo
• TheDenver Art Museum
• TheDenver Center for the Performing Arts
• TheDenver Botanic Gardens

In addition, theRegional Transportation District (RTD) providesmass transit, including alight rail system. In 2005 the RTD developed a twelve-year comprehensive plan, called "FasTracks", to build and operaterail transit lines and expand and improve bus service throughout the region.

The most prosperous parts of the area are in the south and the northwest, while the most industrialized areas are in the northeast, specifically in the northern part of Denver proper and extending to areas such asCommerce City in Adams County.^{[citation needed]}

Changes inhouse prices for the area are publicly tracked on a regular basis using theCase–Shiller index; the statistic is published byStandard & Poor's and is also a component of S&P's 10-citycomposite index of the value of the residential real estate market. The Denver MSA is also home to one of the fastest growing tech scenes outside of Silicon Valley in the country.

Electricity is provided byXcel Energy. Cable television is provided byComcast.^[8]

The following table shows sports teams in the Denver metropolitan area that average more than 12,000 fans per game:

The center of the metropolitan area sits in a valley, theDenver Basin, and suffers fromair pollution known colloquially as thebrown cloud, building up if the air is stagnant as it often is in the winter. Severity of pollution in this area has varied enormously over the years. In the late 1980s the area was frequently in violation of multipleNational Ambient Air Quality Standards established by theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) was formed in 1989 to create plans to address the problem. Through a variety of measures the area's air quality was improved and in 2002 the EPA designated the area in compliance with all federal health-based air quality standards. Denver was the first major city in the United States to reach compliance with all six of these standards after previously violating five of them.^[9] Since then the EPA introduced a new standard for small particulates and made the existing ozone standard stricter. In 2003 the new ozone standard was frequently exceeded in the area and was occasionally exceeded as far away asRocky Mountain National Park. The RAQC hopes to implement plans enabling the area to comply with the new standards by 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Though Aurora, Brighton, Broomfield, Denver, Lakewood, and Longmont have their own individualsister city relationships, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) as a whole has a sister city relationship with theBaghdad Governorate ofIraq.^[10]

• Colorado
  • Outline of Colorado
    • Index of Colorado-related articles
  • List of places in Colorado
    • List of cities and towns in Colorado
    • List of census-designated places in Colorado
  • List of counties in Colorado
  • Colorado statistical areas
    • Front Range Urban Corridor
    • North Central Colorado Urban Area
    • Denver–Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area

• Regional Transportation District

• Denver Regional Council of Governments
• International Migration
• Regional Air Quality Council
• Regional Transportation District
• Science & Cultural Facilities DistrictArchived 2007-06-29 at theWayback Machine
• United States Census Bureau
  • U.S. population estimates

• Denver metropolitan area
• Geography of Denver
• Metropolitan areas of Colorado
• Geography of Aurora, Colorado

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