Thornton, Colorado Population 2023

143,502

Thornton is a city located in Adams County Colorado. Thornton has a 2023 population of 143,502. Thornton is currently growing at a rate of 0.31% annually and its population has increased by 0.94% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 142,166 in 2020.

The average household income in Thornton is $101,588 with a poverty rate of 8.23%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Thornton is 33.7 years, 32.9 years for males, and 34.4 years for females.

The city of Thornton is a home rule municipality located in Colorado. Situated in Weld and Adams counties, and the northeast region of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, Thornton is about 10 miles north-northeast of downtown Denver, the most populous city of Colorado.

Population Growth

In 1960, four years after Thornton was incorporated as a city, the population stood at 11,353. The years between 1970 and 1980 saw a huge growth from 13,326 to 42,054, and an annual growth rate of 12.18%. This could be attributed to the annexation of neighboring communities.

As of 2019, the population of Thornton, Colorado stands at 137,000, with a percentage growth of over 1,000% in the 60 years since the city was incorporated in 1956. Colorado is now the 7th fastest-growing state in the U.S. with much of the growth in the Metro Denver area. Since the 1930s, Metro Denver's growth rate has outpaced the national average (http://www.metrodenver.org/do-business/demographics/population/) and this growth has included the area of Thornton.

Up until 1953, Thornton consisted exclusively of farmland. A purchase that year by Sam Hoffman saw the planning of the first community in Adams County. It was the first to offer full municipal services from a single tax levy, including services such as free trash pickup and recreation. By the end of 1955, Thornton had over 5000 residents in over 1,200 homes. Thornton was incorporated as a city a year later in 1956.

June of 1981 saw Thornton receiving one of the two most destructive tornados in the Denver metropolitan area’s history, causing damage totaling over $15 million. The second touched down in the nearby Denver suburb of Lakewood. These were followed by three more just 7 years later in 1988.

Thornton Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Thornton was:

  • White: 72.5%
  • Two or more races: 12.57%
  • Other race: 6.78%
  • Asian: 5.13%
  • Black or African American: 1.91%
  • Native American: 1.09%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.01%
Land Area (mi²)
35.9 sq mi
Density (mi²)
3,998.30/sq mi
Growth Rate
0.31% (447)
Growth Since 2020
0.94% (1,336)
The current population of Thornton, Colorado is 143,502 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 142,166.

Thornton, Colorado Population 2023

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White101,89672.5%
Two or more races17,66612.57%
Other race9,5306.78%
Asian7,2165.13%
Black or African American2,6841.91%
Native American1,5361.09%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander100.01%
showing: 7 rows

White

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Thornton Population by Race

Thornton Population Pyramid 2023

Thornton Median Age

33.7

Total

32.9

Male

34.4

Female

Thornton Adults

There are 102,024 adults, (13,534 of whom are seniors) in Thornton.

Thornton Age Dependency

58.8

Age Dependency Ratio

15.3

Old Age Dependency Ratio

43.5

Child Dependency Ratio

Thornton Sex Ratio

Female69,76949.64%
Male70,76950.36%

Thornton Population by Age

Thornton Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All47,5992.9472.627.4
Married26,0203.5483.216.8
Non Family13,5841.4359.740.3
Female5,2543.4657.142.9
Male2,7413.816634
showing: 5 rows

3.42

Average Family Size

2.94

Average Household Size

72.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Thornton Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Thornton Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Thornton Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 50%.

Thornton Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$49,818

Average Earnings

$57,507

Average Male

$40,685

Average Female

Thornton Earnings by Educational Attainment

Thornton Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Thornton Language

74.46% of Thornton residents speak only English, while 25.54% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 19.42% of the population.

Thornton Language

Thornton Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White73,3465,4617.45%
Hispanic51,3354,6549.07%
Multiple17,6621,7109.68%
Other9,5261,02010.71%
Asian7,2006048.39%
Black2,6352479.37%
Native1,53618111.78%
Islander10550%
showing: 8 rows

8.23%

Overall Poverty Rate

7.4%

Male Poverty Rate

9.09%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Thornton

The race most likely to be in poverty in Thornton is Islander, with 50% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Thornton is White, with 7.45% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.56%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.31%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 15.08%.

Thornton Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade13.94%
Some College7.06%
High School6.23%
Bachelors or Greater3.4%
showing: 4 rows

Thornton Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed25.51%
Female Unemployed18.07%
Female Employed5.5%
Male Employed3.52%
showing: 4 rows

Thornton Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Thornton Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Thornton Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

52.4%

Overall Marriage Rate

52.8%

Male Marriage Rate

52.0%

Female Marriage Rate

Thornton Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Thornton Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Thornton Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Thornton Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

7,088

Number of Veterans

6,433

Male Veterans

655

Female Veterans

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Thornton Veterans by War

count

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Thornton Veterans by Age

count

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Thornton Veterans by Race

Thornton Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

3.11%

Veteran Poverty Rate

20.1%

Veteran Disability Rate

Thornton Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

73.6%

Labor Force Participation

70.2%

Employment Rate

4.7%

Unemployment Rate

Thornton Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Thornton Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Thornton Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

52.84%

Born in Thornton

86.87%

Native Born

13.87%

Foreign Born

8.66%

Non Citizen

5.22%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

86.87% of Thornton residents were born in the United States, with 52.84% having been born in Colorado. 8.66% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Thornton Place of Birth

Note: data after 2021 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
196011,353-134,8593.77%
197013,3261,9731.62%
198042,05428,72812.18%
199055,03112,9772.73%
200082,38427,3534.12%
2010118,772
2011121,0822,3101.94%
2012123,3922,3101.91%
2013125,7022,3101.87%
2014128,0122,3101.84%
2015130,3222,3101.8%
2016132,6322,3101.77%
2017134,9422,3101.74%
2018137,2522,3101.71%
2019139,5622,3101.68%
2020142,1662,6041.87%
2021142,6104440.31%
2022143,0554450.31%
2023143,5024470.31%
2024143,9504480.31%
2025144,4004500.31%
2026144,8514510.31%
2027145,3034520.31%
2028145,7574540.31%
2029146,2124550.31%
showing: 25 rows

Thornton Population by Year