Report: Weld County tops state for growth during past three years

GREELEY — When it comes to business growth, new building permits, gross domestic product growth and federal funding, Weld County leads the state.

A study released Tuesday by New York-based financial tech firm SmartAsset ranked Weld County No. 1 in Colorado, while Larimer, Broomfield and Boulder counties were ranked 4, 5, and 9, respectively. SmartAsset ranked counties by creating an incoming investment index based on the four criteria over a three-year period.

According to the report, Weld County had an investment index of 64.53 based on 10.9 percent new-business growth, a little more than $1 billion in GDP growth, 30.3 new building permits per 1,000 homes and federal funding of $315 per capita. Federal funding was the dollar amounts of federal contracts awarded to businesses divided by a county’s population.

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Larimer County’s investment index as 57.15; Broomfield, 54.9; and Boulder, 43.15.

Larimer’s had a 6.7 percent growth rate for new businesses, $1.9 billion in GDP growth, 25.8 new building permits per 1,000 homes and federal funding of $1,264 per capita.

Broomfield had an 11.2 percent growth rate in new businesses, $354 million in GDP growth, and $115 of federal funding per capita.

Boulder County had a 4.6 percent growth in new businesses, $2.2 billion in GDP growth, 14.3 new building permits per 1,000 home and federal funding of $2,262 per capita.

Other counties in the top 10 were Douglas, 2; Denver, 3; Arapahoe, 6; El Paso, 7; Adams 8; and Elbert, 10.

For more of the report, click here, and scroll toward the bottom of the page.