Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Hands-On Career Preparation
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    Alternative Pathways
Sign In

Colorado: Almanac 2013

August 19, 2013

Almanac 2013 »

Colorado

Choose a section »

  • Demographics
  • Faculty pay
  • Students
  • Diversity
  • Finance
  • Colleges and universities
Colorado Nation

Demographics

Population
Colorado Nation
Total (State rank: 22) 5,116,796 311,591,919
Age distribution
Age range Colorado Nation
Up to 4 6.7% 6.4%
5 to 14 13.4% 13.2%
15 to 19 6.6% 7.0%
20 to 24 7.0% 7.1%
25 to 44 28.5% 26.4%
45 to 64 26.5% 26.5%
65 and older 11.3% 13.2%
Racial and ethnic distribution
Race or ethnicity Colorado Nation
American Indian 1.0% 0.8%
Asian 2.8% 4.8%
Black 4.0% 12.6%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.2%
White 84.4% 74.1%
More than one race 3.4% 2.8%
Hispanic (may be any race) 20.9% 16.7%
Other 4.3% 4.7%
Educational attainment of adults (highest level)
Level Colorado Nation
8th grade or less 4.0% 6.0%
Some high school, no diploma 5.8% 8.1%
High-school diploma 22.4% 28.4%
Some college, no degree 22.8% 21.2%
Associate degree 8.3% 7.8%
Bachelor’s degree 23.3% 17.9%
Master’s degree 9.8% 7.5%
Doctoral degree 1.5% 1.2%
Professional degree 2.1% 1.9%
Proportion who speak a language other than English at home
Colorado Nation
16.7% 20.8%
Per capita personal income
Colorado Nation
(State rank: 14) $45,135 $42,693
Poverty rate
Colorado Nation
13.5% 15.9%
New high-school graduates
Estimate Colorado Nation
Total for 2013-14 51,179 3,219,207
Projected change from 2013-14 to 2023-24 18.9% 7.9%
New GED diploma recipients
Colorado Nation
9,376 401,388
High-school dropout rate
Colorado Nation
5.9% 4.9%

Faculty pay

Average pay of full-time professors

Public doctoral institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $109,542 $118,822
Associate professor $82,326 $81,373
Assistant professor $69,125 $70,325
All $80,322 $85,690
Public master’s institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $82,995 $89,076
Associate professor $65,088 $71,297
Assistant professor $56,176 $60,506
All $60,717 $69,025
Private nonprofit doctoral institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $120,496 $152,042
Associate professor $83,376 $95,762
Assistant professor $76,091 $82,983
All $85,168 $108,803
Private nonprofit master’s institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $75,319 $91,161
Associate professor $60,571 $71,963
Assistant professor $54,163 $58,901
All $60,469 $69,941
Other 4-year institutions
Control Colorado Nation
Public $60,074 $61,265
Private nonprofit $82,571 $68,804
2-year colleges
Control Colorado Nation
Public $45,945 $62,568
Private nonprofit n/a $48,969

Students

Enrollment
Group Colorado Nation
Undergraduate 308,124 18,047,249
Graduate and professional 57,696 2,931,076
At public 4-year institutions 169,441 8,033,071
At public 2-year institutions 99,857 7,062,467
At private 4-year institutions, nonprofit 33,894 3,887,322
At private 2-year institutions, nonprofit 115 39,553
At private 4-year institutions, for-profit 51,004 1,559,080
At private 2-year institutions, for-profit 11,509 396,832
Total 365,820 20,978,325
Share of enrollment
Institution type Colorado Nation
Public 74% 72%
4-year 70% 64%
2-year 30% 36%
Degrees awarded
Level Colorado Nation
Associate 16,145 942,217
Bachelor’s 29,540 1,712,538
Master’s 14,246 730,635
Doctorate 2,170 163,715

Residence of new students

State

State residents made up 76% of all freshmen enrolled in Colorado in the fall of 2010 who had graduated from high school in the previous year; 76% of all Colorado residents who were freshmen attended college in their home state.

Nation

82% of all freshmen in the fall of 2010 who had graduated from high school in the previous year attended colleges in their home states.

Graduation rates at 4-year institutions
Gender, race or ethnicity Colorado Nation
All 51.1% 59.0%
Men 49.2% 56.4%
Women 52.8% 61.2%
American Indian 30.9% 40.6%
Asian 54.0% 69.7%
Black 28.5% 40.2%
Hispanic 39.5% 51.4%
White 54.1% 62.3%
2 or more races 14.9% 64.0%
Race unknown 47.3% 56.0%

Diversity

Enrollment by race, ethnicity, and citizenship status
Race, ethnicity, or citizenship status Colorado Nation
American Indian 3,883 174,629
Asian 11,317 1,133,719
Black 26,571 2,840,259
Pacific Islander 970 61,179
Hispanic 45,218 2,695,637
White 225,713 11,519,372
2 or more races 8,576 405,812
Race unknown 35,242 1,409,094
Foreign 8,330 738,624
Total 365,820 20,978,325
Share of enrollment
Group Colorado Nation
Women 56.0% 57.0%
American Indian 1.1% 0.8%
Asian 3.1% 5.4%
Black 7.3% 13.5%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.3%
Hispanic 12.4% 12.8%
White 61.7% 54.9%
2 or more races 2.3% 1.9%
Race unknown 9.6% 6.7%
Foreign 2.3% 3.5%
Minority 26.4% 34.9%
Underrepresented minority 20.7% 27.2%
Full-time 59.4% 61.9%

Test scores

State

Students averaged 20.6 on the ACT, which was taken by an estimated 100% of Colorado’s high-school seniors. Students averaged 1156 on the SAT, which was taken by an estimated 17% of Colorado’s high-school seniors.

Nation

Students averaged 21.1 on the ACT and 1010 on the SAT.

Finance

Average tuition and fees
Institution type Colorado Nation
Public 4-year $6,578 $7,087
Public 2-year $2,786 $2,419
Private 4-year $30,285 $26,165
State funds for higher-education operating expenses
Colorado Nation
State funds $640,628,978 $71,966,406,875
One-year change -1.1% -0.4%
State spending on student aid
Aid type Colorado Nation
Need-based grants $74,344,504 $6,954,307,090
Non-need-based grants $364,922 $2,444,876,754
Nongrant aid $29,476,521 $1,737,198,826
Total $104,185,947 $11,136,382,670
Spending on research and development by colleges and universities
Colorado Nation
Total $1,291,054,000 $65,073,411,000
One-year change 9.4% 6.3%
Sources of financing
Source Colorado Nation
Federal government 76.4% 62.6%
State and local governments 3.5% 5.9%
Industry 4.8% 4.9%
Nonprofit 4.9% 5.9%
Institution itself 9.3% 19.1%
Other 1.0% 1.6%
Share for specific research fields
Field Colorado Nation
Engineering 17.9% 15.4%
Environmental sciences 17.9% 4.9%
Life sciences 44.0% 57.2%
Math and computer sciences 1.8% 3.6%
Physical sciences 9.8% 7.3%
Psychology 2.1% 1.7%
Social sciences 1.9% 3.1%
Other sciences 0.6% 1.7%
Fields other than science and engineering 3.9% 4.9%
Largest endowment
Institution Colorado
University of Colorado Foundation $771,320,000
Top fund raisers (among survey participants)
Institution Colorado
University of Colorado system $221,206,966
University of Denver $44,054,321
Colorado School of Mines $27,124,023

Colleges and universities

Number of institutions
Institution type Colorado Nation
Public 4-year 13 679
Public 2-year 14 972
Private 4-year, nonprofit 12 1,557
Private 2-year, nonprofit 1 100
Private 4-year, for-profit 29 735
Private 2-year, for-profit 22 669
Total 91 4,712
3 largest institutions by enrollment
Institution Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder 26,842
Colorado State University 23,121
Colorado Technical University Online 17,549

Institutions censured or sanctioned by the AAUP

None

Institutions on NCAA probation

None

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Almanac 2013 »

Colorado

Choose a section »

  • Demographics
  • Faculty pay
  • Students
  • Diversity
  • Finance
  • Colleges and universities
Colorado Nation

Demographics

Population
Colorado Nation
Total (State rank: 22) 5,116,796 311,591,919
Age distribution
Age range Colorado Nation
Up to 4 6.7% 6.4%
5 to 14 13.4% 13.2%
15 to 19 6.6% 7.0%
20 to 24 7.0% 7.1%
25 to 44 28.5% 26.4%
45 to 64 26.5% 26.5%
65 and older 11.3% 13.2%
Racial and ethnic distribution
Race or ethnicity Colorado Nation
American Indian 1.0% 0.8%
Asian 2.8% 4.8%
Black 4.0% 12.6%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.2%
White 84.4% 74.1%
More than one race 3.4% 2.8%
Hispanic (may be any race) 20.9% 16.7%
Other 4.3% 4.7%
Educational attainment of adults (highest level)
Level Colorado Nation
8th grade or less 4.0% 6.0%
Some high school, no diploma 5.8% 8.1%
High-school diploma 22.4% 28.4%
Some college, no degree 22.8% 21.2%
Associate degree 8.3% 7.8%
Bachelor’s degree 23.3% 17.9%
Master’s degree 9.8% 7.5%
Doctoral degree 1.5% 1.2%
Professional degree 2.1% 1.9%
Proportion who speak a language other than English at home
Colorado Nation
16.7% 20.8%
Per capita personal income
Colorado Nation
(State rank: 14) $45,135 $42,693
Poverty rate
Colorado Nation
13.5% 15.9%
New high-school graduates
Estimate Colorado Nation
Total for 2013-14 51,179 3,219,207
Projected change from 2013-14 to 2023-24 18.9% 7.9%
New GED diploma recipients
Colorado Nation
9,376 401,388
High-school dropout rate
Colorado Nation
5.9% 4.9%

Faculty pay

Average pay of full-time professors

Public doctoral institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $109,542 $118,822
Associate professor $82,326 $81,373
Assistant professor $69,125 $70,325
All $80,322 $85,690
Public master’s institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $82,995 $89,076
Associate professor $65,088 $71,297
Assistant professor $56,176 $60,506
All $60,717 $69,025
Private nonprofit doctoral institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $120,496 $152,042
Associate professor $83,376 $95,762
Assistant professor $76,091 $82,983
All $85,168 $108,803
Private nonprofit master’s institutions
Academic rank Colorado Nation
Professor $75,319 $91,161
Associate professor $60,571 $71,963
Assistant professor $54,163 $58,901
All $60,469 $69,941
Other 4-year institutions
Control Colorado Nation
Public $60,074 $61,265
Private nonprofit $82,571 $68,804
2-year colleges
Control Colorado Nation
Public $45,945 $62,568
Private nonprofit n/a $48,969

Students

Enrollment
Group Colorado Nation
Undergraduate 308,124 18,047,249
Graduate and professional 57,696 2,931,076
At public 4-year institutions 169,441 8,033,071
At public 2-year institutions 99,857 7,062,467
At private 4-year institutions, nonprofit 33,894 3,887,322
At private 2-year institutions, nonprofit 115 39,553
At private 4-year institutions, for-profit 51,004 1,559,080
At private 2-year institutions, for-profit 11,509 396,832
Total 365,820 20,978,325
Share of enrollment
Institution type Colorado Nation
Public 74% 72%
4-year 70% 64%
2-year 30% 36%
Degrees awarded
Level Colorado Nation
Associate 16,145 942,217
Bachelor’s 29,540 1,712,538
Master’s 14,246 730,635
Doctorate 2,170 163,715

Residence of new students

State

State residents made up 76% of all freshmen enrolled in Colorado in the fall of 2010 who had graduated from high school in the previous year; 76% of all Colorado residents who were freshmen attended college in their home state.

Nation

82% of all freshmen in the fall of 2010 who had graduated from high school in the previous year attended colleges in their home states.

Graduation rates at 4-year institutions
Gender, race or ethnicity Colorado Nation
All 51.1% 59.0%
Men 49.2% 56.4%
Women 52.8% 61.2%
American Indian 30.9% 40.6%
Asian 54.0% 69.7%
Black 28.5% 40.2%
Hispanic 39.5% 51.4%
White 54.1% 62.3%
2 or more races 14.9% 64.0%
Race unknown 47.3% 56.0%

Diversity

Enrollment by race, ethnicity, and citizenship status
Race, ethnicity, or citizenship status Colorado Nation
American Indian 3,883 174,629
Asian 11,317 1,133,719
Black 26,571 2,840,259
Pacific Islander 970 61,179
Hispanic 45,218 2,695,637
White 225,713 11,519,372
2 or more races 8,576 405,812
Race unknown 35,242 1,409,094
Foreign 8,330 738,624
Total 365,820 20,978,325
Share of enrollment
Group Colorado Nation
Women 56.0% 57.0%
American Indian 1.1% 0.8%
Asian 3.1% 5.4%
Black 7.3% 13.5%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.3%
Hispanic 12.4% 12.8%
White 61.7% 54.9%
2 or more races 2.3% 1.9%
Race unknown 9.6% 6.7%
Foreign 2.3% 3.5%
Minority 26.4% 34.9%
Underrepresented minority 20.7% 27.2%
Full-time 59.4% 61.9%

Test scores

State

Students averaged 20.6 on the ACT, which was taken by an estimated 100% of Colorado’s high-school seniors. Students averaged 1156 on the SAT, which was taken by an estimated 17% of Colorado’s high-school seniors.

Nation

Students averaged 21.1 on the ACT and 1010 on the SAT.

Finance

Average tuition and fees
Institution type Colorado Nation
Public 4-year $6,578 $7,087
Public 2-year $2,786 $2,419
Private 4-year $30,285 $26,165
State funds for higher-education operating expenses
Colorado Nation
State funds $640,628,978 $71,966,406,875
One-year change -1.1% -0.4%
State spending on student aid
Aid type Colorado Nation
Need-based grants $74,344,504 $6,954,307,090
Non-need-based grants $364,922 $2,444,876,754
Nongrant aid $29,476,521 $1,737,198,826
Total $104,185,947 $11,136,382,670
Spending on research and development by colleges and universities
Colorado Nation
Total $1,291,054,000 $65,073,411,000
One-year change 9.4% 6.3%
Sources of financing
Source Colorado Nation
Federal government 76.4% 62.6%
State and local governments 3.5% 5.9%
Industry 4.8% 4.9%
Nonprofit 4.9% 5.9%
Institution itself 9.3% 19.1%
Other 1.0% 1.6%
Share for specific research fields
Field Colorado Nation
Engineering 17.9% 15.4%
Environmental sciences 17.9% 4.9%
Life sciences 44.0% 57.2%
Math and computer sciences 1.8% 3.6%
Physical sciences 9.8% 7.3%
Psychology 2.1% 1.7%
Social sciences 1.9% 3.1%
Other sciences 0.6% 1.7%
Fields other than science and engineering 3.9% 4.9%
Largest endowment
Institution Colorado
University of Colorado Foundation $771,320,000
Top fund raisers (among survey participants)
Institution Colorado
University of Colorado system $221,206,966
University of Denver $44,054,321
Colorado School of Mines $27,124,023

Colleges and universities

Number of institutions
Institution type Colorado Nation
Public 4-year 13 679
Public 2-year 14 972
Private 4-year, nonprofit 12 1,557
Private 2-year, nonprofit 1 100
Private 4-year, for-profit 29 735
Private 2-year, for-profit 22 669
Total 91 4,712
3 largest institutions by enrollment
Institution Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder 26,842
Colorado State University 23,121
Colorado Technical University Online 17,549

Institutions censured or sanctioned by the AAUP

None

Institutions on NCAA probation

None

Note: See Sources & Notes for details about the data.

Correction (9/24/2014): All tables in the 2013 Almanac’s States section have been updated to make them more comparable to ones published in other years. The data are now limited to degree-granting institutions that are eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid, not all higher-education institutions. Administrative offices that were inadvertently counted as institutions in the original version of the tables have been omitted from the total number of institutions in each state. Figures for tuition and fees, which had incorrectly excluded fees, now reflect both tuition and fees. The three largest institutions by enrollment give figures for full-time students in fall 2011, not an unduplicated head count of all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled over a 12-month period for 2010-11.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Photo-based illustration of scissors cutting through a flat black and white university building and a landscape bearing the image of a $100 bill.
Budget Troubles
‘Every Revenue Source Is at Risk’: Under Trump, Research Universities Are Cutting Back
Photo-based illustration of the Capitol building dome topping a jar of money.
Budget Bill
Republicans’ Plan to Tax Higher Ed and Slash Funding Advances in Congress
Allison Pingree, a Cambridge, Mass. resident, joined hundreds at an April 12 rally urging Harvard to resist President Trump's influence on the institution.
International
Trump Administration Revokes Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students
Photo-based illustration of an open book with binary code instead of narrative paragraphs
Culture Shift
The Reading Struggle Meets AI

From The Review

Illustration of a Gold Seal sticker embossed with President Trump's face
The Review | Essay
What Trump’s Accreditation Moves Get Right
By Samuel Negus
Illustration of a torn cold seal sticker embossed with President Trump's face
The Review | Essay
The Weaponization of Accreditation
By Greg D. Pillar, Laurie Shanderson
Protestors gather outside the Pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
The Review | Conversation
Are Colleges Rife With Antisemitism? If So, What Should Be Done?
By Evan Goldstein, Len Gutkin

Upcoming Events

Ascendium_06-10-25_Plain.png
Views on College and Alternative Pathways
Coursera_06-17-25_Plain.png
AI and Microcredentials
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin