Industry Programs

Industry Programs

The Office of Economic Development and International Trade administers many programs designed to assist some of Colorado's major industries.

Our Targeted Industries include:

Aerospace

171,250 Coloradans are employed in space related jobs
Colorado is home to NASA's $8.2 billion Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle
The U.S. Air Force Academy boasts the number two aerospace engineering program in the country
Seven of the nation's top aerospace contractors have significant operations in Colorado
Colorado is home to Air Force and Army Space Command, NORAD and USNORTHCOM
In 2007, the University of Colorado ranked second among public institutions for receipt of NASA research expenditures
Space employment grew 27.4 percent between 2002-2007

Bioscience

The Bioscience sector employs over 18,000 in Colorado
The average annual wage in the field of Bioscience is $67,320
Of medium sized metros, Boulder ranks 1st in the size of its medical device sector
Colorado ranked 11th in Bioscience venture capital investments between 2002-2007
Since 2001, Fort Collins has added 37 percent to its Bioscience employment base
Academic research and development grew more than 72 percent from 2002-2006
Bioscience employment grew 5.5 percent between 2002-2006
University of Colorado research and technology has spawned 38 Bioscience companies

Renewable Energy

In 2007, Colorado ranked 4th in renewable energy and energy research employment
Colorado ranks 11th in the U.S. for wind energy potential
The southwest portion of the state offers solar quality potential of 26 gigawatts
Golden is home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Colorado could produce an estimated 5.2 billion Kwh from biomass fuel
There are approximately 1,380 renewable energy and energy companies in Colorado
Colorado is 5th in the number of science and engineering graduate students

Tourism

Colorado is home to one World Heritage site, four National Parks and six National Monuments
The world's highest suspension bridge spans the Arkansas River near Canon City
Per capita, Colorado has more microbreweries than any other state
In terms of jobs, tourism is the second largest industry in the state, employing 143,700 people
The Colorado travel Industry generated $763 million in local and state tax revenue in 2007
In 2007, total direct spending amounted to more than $15 billion
With 24 ski areas, Colorado is the number one ski destination in North America
In 2007, Colorado welcomed a record 28 million overnight visitors who spent $9.8 billion in tourism related expenditures

Other Related Programs include: