Denver is a consolidated city and county in Colorado, United States, sitting on the South Platte River about 12 miles east of the Rocky Mountain foothills. The City and County of Denver had a population of 715,522 at the 2020 census, an estimated 718,877 by 2024, and covers 153.1 square miles (396.5 km2) centred near 39°44′N 104°59′W.
Denver is its own county seat — there is no separate seat because the city and county merged into one government in 1902; its postal code is 80202 downtown. The consolidated government runs 78 official statistical neighborhoods instead of incorporated towns and civil townships, and it sits on Mountain Time. Its FIPS county code is 08031.
Neighborhoods of Denver
Denver has no towns, villages or CDPs of its own — the city and county merged in 1902, so its Planning and Development office divides the whole city into 78 official statistical neighborhoods instead. The table below lists the 30 largest by population where a reliable figure exists; the remaining neighborhoods are smaller and mostly residential or park land. Population figures are not decennial census counts (the Census Bureau does not tabulate at this boundary level) — they are Denver’s own neighborhood-profile and American Community Survey estimates, so years vary and are noted in the source list.
| Neighborhood | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway · Green Valley Ranch | Neighborhood | 36,555 | 80249 |
| Montbello | Neighborhood | 33,121 | 80239 |
| Central Park (Stapleton) | Neighborhood | 30,000 | 80238 |
| Elyria · Swansea | Neighborhood | 16,610 | 80216 |
| Five Points | Neighborhood | 17,520 | 80205 |
| Capitol Hill | Neighborhood | 16,675 | 80203 |
| Hampden South | Neighborhood | 15,603 | 80231 |
| Sunnyside | Neighborhood | 11,855 | 80211 |
| Harvey Park | Neighborhood | 11,496 | 80219 |
| Highland | Neighborhood | 10,699 | 80211 |
| Congress Park | Neighborhood | 10,235 | 80206 |
| West Colfax | Neighborhood | 9,120 | 80204 |
| Sloan Lake | Neighborhood | 8,471 | 80212 |
| Cherry Creek | Neighborhood | 8,029 | 80206 |
| Washington Park | Neighborhood | 7,672 | 80209 |
| Athmar Park | Neighborhood | 7,638 | 80219 |
| University Hills | Neighborhood | 6,897 | 80222 |
| Baker | Neighborhood | 6,823 | 80223 |
| City Park | Neighborhood | 6,173 | 80205 |
| Union Station | Neighborhood | 5,878 | 80202 |
| North Capitol Hill | Neighborhood | 5,823 | 80218 |
| Belcaro | Neighborhood | 4,394 | 80209 |
| Civic Center | Neighborhood | 3,992 | 80202 |
| Park Hill (North, South & Northeast) | Neighborhood | — | 80207 |
| Westwood | Neighborhood | — | 80219 |
| East Colfax | Neighborhood | — | 80220 |
| Villa Park | Neighborhood | — | 80204 |
| Berkeley | Neighborhood | — | 80212 |
| Globeville | Neighborhood | — | 80216 |
| Auraria | Neighborhood | — | 80204 |
The city and its metro area share two same-name traps worth flagging: Cherry Creek is both a Denver neighborhood (80206/80209) and a separate census-designated place in neighboring Arapahoe County with its own population count — the two are not the same place. Park Hill is officially split into three statistical neighborhoods (North, South and Northeast Park Hill); older population figures citing one combined “Park Hill” number predate that split and are not repeated here.
ZIP Codes
- 80202 — downtown/LoDo and Union Station (also serves the Central Business District and Civic Center)
- 80203 — Capitol Hill (also serves North Capitol Hill)
- 80204 — West Colfax, Villa Park and Auraria
- 80205 — Five Points and City Park
- 80206 — Congress Park and Cherry Creek
- 80207 — Park Hill (North, South and Northeast)
- 80209 — Washington Park, Belcaro and Cherry Creek (south side)
- 80210 — University and Platt Park
- 80211 — Highland, Sunnyside and Berkeley
- 80212 — Sloan Lake and Berkeley (west side)
- 80216 — Globeville and Elyria-Swansea
- 80218 — North Capitol Hill and Cheesman Park
- 80219 — Harvey Park, Athmar Park and Westwood
- 80220 — East Colfax and Montclair
- 80222 — University Hills and Hampden
- 80231 — Hampden South and Indian Creek
- 80238 — Central Park (Stapleton)
- 80239 — Montbello
- 80249 — Gateway/Green Valley Ranch
- 80261 — Denver International Airport
Several small planned neighborhoods, including Lowry and Indian Creek, share a ZIP with a larger neighbor rather than carrying their own, because the US Postal Service assigns codes by delivery route, not by Denver’s planning boundaries.
Geography
Denver sits at 5,280 feet (1,610 m) elevation on the flat, semi-arid South Platte River valley, roughly a mile above sea level and the source of its nickname. The South Platte River and Cherry Creek run through downtown; Sloan Lake and the Cherry Creek Reservoir are the largest bodies of water. The terrain rises gently west toward the foothills and is otherwise level plains, with almost no water area (under half a percent of the county’s total).
Denver borders Adams County to the north and northeast, Arapahoe County to the south and southeast, and Jefferson County to the west. Arapahoe County continues to have a live county page at townsvillages.com; so does Jefferson County. Adams County’s page currently redirects to its Pennsylvania namesake and is not linked here for that reason.
Demographics
Denver counted 715,522 residents at the 2020 census, up from roughly 600,000 in 2010, and the 2024 estimate stands at 718,877. Gateway/Green Valley Ranch and Montbello are the two largest neighborhoods by population, both in the fast-growing far-northeast corner of the city. Median household income was $91,681 (2023, ACS 5-year), close to the statewide Colorado figure and above the US median of $78,538. Spread across 153.1 square miles, that works out to roughly 4,680 residents per square mile, making Denver one of the denser large cities in the Mountain West.
Economy & Local Life
Denver’s economy centers on professional and business services, healthcare, government, and aerospace/technology, with a growing outdoor-recreation and craft-brewing sector. Major employers include the Colorado state government, Denver Public Schools, UCHealth and HealthONE hospital systems, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines (both headquartered near Denver International Airport), Lockheed Martin’s Jefferson County-adjacent Waterton campus, and Comcast’s regional headquarters. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the Colorado Convention Center anchor downtown’s cultural and event economy. The city’s biggest annual event is the National Western Stock Show every January, drawing crowds to the National Western Complex in Elyria-Swansea.
History
William Larimer Jr. founded Denver City on November 22, 1858, during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, naming it for Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver in hopes of winning the new town county-seat status. Denver was incorporated on November 7, 1861. On December 1, 1902, Colorado voters approved a constitutional amendment consolidating the city and Arapahoe County land around it into a single City and County of Denver, ending overlapping city and county governments. The Ludlow-era coal strikes and the 1965 South Platte flood, which destroyed much of the low-lying industrial district near today’s Sun Valley and Globeville neighborhoods, are the county’s two most consequential 20th-century events; the flood led directly to the Denver Urban Renewal Authority and today’s downtown floodplain controls.
Getting There
Interstates 25, 70, 76, 225 and 270 all cross Denver County, along with US routes 6, 36, 40, 85, 87, 285 and 287 — few large US counties carry this many federal highways.
- Boulder — 30 miles northwest
- Colorado Springs — 70 miles south
- Fort Collins — 65 miles north
- Aurora — 10 miles east
Denver International Airport, about 20 miles northeast of downtown in the Gateway/Green Valley Ranch area, is the busiest airport in Colorado and one of the busiest in the country. Denver Union Station downtown serves Amtrak’s California Zephyr and is also the hub for the RTD commuter-rail network.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Denver County?
It is in north-central Colorado, on the South Platte River about 12 miles east of the Rocky Mountain foothills, bordered by Adams, Arapahoe and Jefferson counties.
What is Denver County’s population?
715,522 at the 2020 census, estimated at 718,877 in 2024.
How big is Denver County?
153.1 square miles (396.5 km2), almost entirely land.
What is the county seat?
Denver is the county seat; the city and county are the same consolidated government.
How many neighborhoods does Denver have?
78 official statistical neighborhoods, since the city has no separate incorporated towns.
What ZIP codes cover Denver County?
Roughly 20 primary ZIPs from 80202 downtown out to 80249 in Green Valley Ranch and 80261 at the airport; see the ZIP Codes section above.
Why is Denver both a city and a county?
Voters merged them into one consolidated government on December 1, 1902, to end duplicated city and county administration.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Colorado.