Colorado Springs, Colorado Population 2024

Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado and sits at the base of Pikes Peak, one of the most famous mountains in the Americas.

Population Density in Colorado Springs

While Colorado Springs is a large city with much land, it still faces the same problems of any city with fast growth: congested roads, crime, and budget issues. Despite its problems, it was chosen in 2006 by Money magazine as the number one Best Big City to live in and earned the first place in Outside magazine's 2009 list of America's Best Cities.

Colorado Springs Population Growth

Colorado Springs has enjoyed steady growth since the earliest census in 1870, with the slowest growth occurring from 1910 to 1920 (just 3.5%). Since then, every census has reported double-digit growth in The Springs.

Still, the number of people moving to the area from other parts of the country has slowed, and demographers believe it may be signs of a troubled economy. There may be some association between the local city-wide ban of recreational cannabis retail stores - while there are over 100 medical cannabis dispensaries in the city.

The most substantial growth in recent years has come from births and from abroad, especially soldiers returning home. In 2010, a survey estimated 3,800 people moved to El Paso County in the last year, compared to just 777 two years later. According to some experts, the region has been one of the slowest to recover from the recession, and job growth isn't as strong as other areas in Colorado.

The Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance is already moving quickly to reverse this trend and focusing on areas that work well with the community, particularly sporting, defense and aerospace industries. The city is also working harder to increase tourism to its region, believing that once people visit for the scenery and lifestyle, they'll want to settle in Colorado Springs to stay.

The area of Pikes Peak was first inhabited by Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Kiowa and Ute Indians, who gathered each year at present-day Garden of the Gods park. General William Palmer, a Civil War General, first came to the area in 1870 and founded Denver, the Rio Grande Railroad and Colorado Springs a year later. He worked to lay out the plans for the city and donated land for schools and churches, envisioning the area as a resort destination, hence the town's first nickname: Little London.

The gold rush of the 1890s led to a settlement just west of Colorado Springs, and the town quickly became the "city of millionaires" by the beginning of the 19th century. By 1904, 35 of the country's 100 millionaires had come from the gold that was mined out of the area.

A Fort Carson Army installation was constructed in the city in the 1940s, and Colorado Springs still has a strong military presence to this day with the Peterson Air Force Base, the US Air Force Academy, US Space Command and more. Colorado Springs has posted positive population growth since its founding, with particularly strong growth during the 1960s and 70's when most large cities in the US were losing people to the suburbs. The crime rates are unusually high in Colorado Springs especially in regards to robbery and assaults.