Photo: Yassie · CC BY-SA 4.0A job hub: Golden has 2.2 jobs per working resident, and 18,923 people come in to work
Jobs and income earn Golden B+; getting around on foot earns it A+. 19,823 jobs are based in Golden, and 9,007 of its residents work somewhere. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 13.2 in Denver.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Golden at work: what stands out
Golden is where the jobs are
Golden has 19,823 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 31,000 people are in town, 53% more than the 20,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Golden and Denver trade workers both ways
Denver is the top workplace for Golden residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in Golden come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most jobs in Golden pay over $40,000 a year
76% of the jobs based in Golden pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
A lot of Golden works from home
31% of Golden workers work from home, against 21% across Colorado. Time on the road ↓
The biggest group of Golden’s workers comes from Denver
2,537 of the people who work in Golden live in Denver, 18 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How Golden earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Golden is better than 73% of U.S. towns, #68 of 159 in Colorado. Job access by car holds Golden’s grade up (ahead of 88% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (12.6%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Golden could be anywhere from B to A.
The daily flow of workers through Golden
On a workday 8,107 residents head out to work and 900 work right here.
About 31,000 people are in Golden on a workday afternoon, 53% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Who travels to work in Golden, and from where
Where Golden clocks in
24% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
76% of the jobs in Golden pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Golden, 2013 → 2023: 16,576 → 19,823. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Golden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Golden, about 24 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Golden workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,114 commuters (the 31% who work from home are left out). Across Colorado: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far it is to work from Golden
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Golden is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Golden is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #15 of 159 in Colorado. Both inputs place Golden near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 10,287 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 43% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 20% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.0% of Golden households have no vehicle (Colorado 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Golden’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Golden ranks: 835th of 1,931 U.S. towns of 14,000 to 28,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 90 | Greenwood Village CO | 15,323 | $149K | 3.1% | 3.3% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 196 | Lone Tree CO | 15,278 | $124K | 4.9% | 3.0% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 218 | Castle Pines CO | 15,583 | $191K | 6.9% | 2.6% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 833 | River Falls WI | 17,916 | $84K | 15.1% | 3.3% | 24% | B+ |
| 834 | Old Jamestown MO | 20,651 | $100K | 7.4% | 5.6% | 1% | B+ |
| 835 | Golden CO | 20,390 | $99K | 12.6% | 3.6% | 10% | B+ |
| 836 | Central Point OR | 19,139 | $86K | 6.7% | 3.1% | 10% | B+ |
| 837 | Alpine CA | 15,180 | $109K | 13.0% | 3.0% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,931 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Golden, the top three, the last and three more from Colorado.
Work next door: 11% of Golden’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Golden workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden | – | B+ | A+ | 24 min | $98,582 |
| West Pleasant View | under 2% | B | A | 19 min | $95,817 |
| Fairmount | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 23 min | $163,600 |
| Lakewood | 11% | B+ | A | 26 min | $89,792 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Lakewood. Darker towns draw more of Golden’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Golden: questions
What is the median household income in Golden?
$98,582 (±$10,849) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Golden?
12.6%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Golden?
24 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 31% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Golden work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Denver (24%, 18 mi), Lakewood (11%, 6 mi), Boulder (5%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Golden walkable?
Golden is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.0 out of 20, and 14% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Golden without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 20% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Golden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Golden
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.