Thornton, Colorado Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Updated
Thornton, CO Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Thornton | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 134,665 | 5,842,429 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3494.4 | 56.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.73% | 1.09% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 32.9 | 35.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 47,195 | 2,364,171 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Thornton grew by 27.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 134,665 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Thornton is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 26.6% of residents. That is 2.3 points above Colorado as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 32,253 24.0% +1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 35,754 26.6% +2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 25,635 19.0% -0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,257 10.6% -4.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Colorado, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.6% of the people living in Thornton and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Colorado 49.4%
- Men 50.4% Colorado 50.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Thornton
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Thornton has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Thornton | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $99,024 | $95,803 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.68% | 5.41% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Thornton is about 3% higher than in Colorado.
Housing
| Metric | Thornton | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $468,368 | $484,034 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,901 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.7% | 66.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Thornton is about 20.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,901 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Thornton spend about 57 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 239 hours, about 9.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Thornton | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 28.6 | 22.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 57.2 | 44.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 239 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,394 | $5,694 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.6% | 21.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,351 | 8,183 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,091 | 1,277 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Thornton is 29 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Colorado.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Thornton has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Thornton | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.0% | 40.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.84 | 2.42 | 2.53 |
Health
Thornton has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Thornton | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.7 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.4% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.1% | 16.1% | 19.0% |
Thornton, CO Compared With Nearby Cities
How Thornton, CO compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornton, CO | 134,665 | $99,024 #1/2 | $468,368 #1/2 | 28.6 min #2/2 |
| Northglenn, CO | 36,757 | $84,054 | $457,042 | 27.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Thornton, Colorado.
What is the population of Thornton, Colorado?
About 134,665 people live in Thornton, Colorado, in 47,195 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 32.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Thornton, Colorado urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Thornton, Colorado has 3,494 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 40 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Thornton, Colorado?
The median home costs 4.7 times the median household income ($468,368 against $99,024), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,901 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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