Business Demographics

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Major Employers

Major Employers are defined as those establishments in Larimer County that employ the largest number of people. Education, the health industry, and local government account for seven out of the County's ten major employers. For more detailed information, please see Larimer County's Compass webpage, Larimer County Employers.

Company Product / Service Employees
Colorado State University Higher Education 7945
Poudre Valley Health System Full-range Health Services 3488
Poudre School District K - 12 Education 3325
Hewlett-Packard Electronic Data Processing Equipment 3250
Agilent Technologies Test & Measurement Equipment 2800
Thompson School District K - 12 Education 1890
City of Fort Collins Municipal Government 1884
Larimer County County Government 1500
Woodward Governor Speed Controls 1200
McKee Medical Center Full-range Health Services 950

Workforce Demographics

"This area [Northern Colorado, including Larimer County] has one of the 'best workforces in the world.' The workforce has a strong knowledge base in a variety of fields." (NCEDC, "Northern Colorado Primary Employers Research Project")

In 2002, the Progressive Policy Institute released the "2002 State New Economy" rankings. Colorado ranked 2nd in the nation for the workforce education indicator, behind Maryland. This indicator was a weighted measure of the educational attainment (advanced degrees, bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, or some college course work) of the workforce.

The Northern Colorado Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC) released the report, "Northern Colorado Primary Employers1 Research Project" in 2003. The workforce in Northern Colorado was described as highly skilled, and employers noted the "superior quality of work their employees exhibit." Of those employers who participated in the project, 92% rated their employee performance as excellent or good.

Compass: Colorado Department of Labor & Employment: United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics:

1Primary employers are defined by their products - goods or services that are exported out of the region and that result in net "new" dollars returning to the region.

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