• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
denver

This City Is a Millennial Hiring Paradise

By
Mack Gelber
Mack Gelber
and
Monster
Monster
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Mack Gelber
Mack Gelber
and
Monster
Monster
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 19, 2016, 11:00 AM ET
USA, Colorado, Denver, City view and Rocky Mountains from east
USA, Colorado, Denver, city view and Rocky Mountains from the eastWalter Bibikow — Getty Images/AWL Images

This piece originally appeared on Monster.com.

The city of Denver, Colorado might call to mind images of ski trips and snowy mountains, but its job market couldn’t be hotter. According to the Wall Street Journal, 32,000 new companies have opened in Denver in the past four years, with over 165,000 jobs to match. That hiring environment—combined with its high quality of life—have made the city a magnet for job-seeking millennials.

Nearly 13,000 millennials flocked to Denver between 2009 and 2014, according to analysis from real estate site Zillow. And while the city’s experienced the spiking rents that come with a population boom, its job market is still extraordinarily strong for a city of its size (US Census data ranks Denver the 19th largest city by population).

According to Monster data pulled using CEB TalentNeuron, nearly 4,300 job listings were posted in the Denver area in the past 120 days. That puts it in the same league as larger cities like Philadelphia and Phoenix, and even ahead of a tech job hub like San Jose. All told, Denver ranks 19th out of all US cities for job listings added to Monster.

“Denver was in a major recession in the ’80s,” said urban planner Carrie Makarewicz told the New York Times. “The main industry was gas and oil, so when the energy sector bombed, the business community and government got together and decided they needed to diversify and make some major investments.”

For more on Millennials, watch this Fortune video:

Monster data ranks the tech space as Denver’s largest source of job listings, with over 1,000 posted in the past 120 days. That’s no surprise—commercial real estate broker CBRE says tech companies leased over a million square feet of office space last year, representing a nearly 6% jump over the previous year.

Of course, it’s nearly impossible to talk about the Denver job market without mentioning Colorado’s legal marijuana industry. Last month, the city hosted a cannabis career fair featuring more than 50 companies and over 1,000 jobs, some retail-oriented (the “bud tenders” behind the dispensary counter), some sleekly corporate (pot companies need social media managers too).

“Marijuana is now, for the most part, mainstream acceptable, and with that the talent pool has followed suit,” Tripp Keber, the founder of Denver-based marijuana edibles company Dixie Brands, told CBS last month.

Read More: These Cities Have Become Magnets for Job-Seeking College Graduates

And while Colorado’s pot industry is still relatively small, there’s evidence that it’s actually propping up the state’s flagging retail and manufacturing industries. One report from the Colorado Business Review describes a boost in retail sales and employment in areas where marijuana is legalized (recreational pot sales began in the state in 2014), while a Denver Post story points to edibles as a possible explanation for an uptick in food manufacturing jobs. All told, weed-derived revenue totaled $486 million in Colorado for the first five months of 2016.

More from Monster:
• Ask Vicki: Can I get a job outside of my college degree?
•7 companies that will send you abroad for a year or two
• 100 companies making big hires in August

But regardless of whether you choose to tap into Colorado’s pot job boom, its capital city has experienced more than 50 consecutive months of job growth and positioned itself as a beacon for hungry young talent. Maybe it’s time to turn that ski trip into an extended stay.

About the Authors
By Mack Gelber
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Monster
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

CryptoBinance
Binance has been proudly nomadic for years. A new announcement suggests it’s finally chosen a headquarters
By Ben WeissDecember 7, 2025
3 hours ago
Big TechStreaming
Trump warns Netflix-Warner deal may pose antitrust ‘problem’
By Hadriana Lowenkron, Se Young Lee and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
Big TechOpenAI
OpenAI goes from stock market savior to burden as AI risks mount
By Ryan Vlastelica and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
InvestingStock
What bubble? Asset managers in risk-on mode stick with stocks
By Julien Ponthus, Natalia Kniazhevich, Abhishek Vishnoi and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
EconomyTariffs and trade
Macron warns EU may hit China with tariffs over trade surplus
By James Regan and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago
EconomyTariffs and trade
U.S. trade chief says China has complied with terms of trade deals
By Hadriana Lowenkron and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
7 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Nvidia CEO says data centers take about 3 years to construct in the U.S., while in China 'they can build a hospital in a weekend'
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The most likely solution to the U.S. debt crisis is severe austerity triggered by a fiscal calamity, former White House economic adviser says
By Jason MaDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Europe has a 'real problem’
By Katherine Chiglinsky and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Supreme Court to reconsider a 90-year-old unanimous ruling that limits presidential power on removing heads of independent agencies
By Mark Sherman and The Associated PressDecember 7, 2025
15 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.