Thornton, Colorado Population 2021

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.