Population 90,308 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Thornton
Household size in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.92 | 2.58 | 2.57 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.04 | 2.66 | 2.63 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.06 | 2.68 | 2.64 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.99 | 2.57 | 2.54 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.07 | −0.01 | −0.04 | −0.03 |
Thornton is a place of big households: 2.99 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Since 2006–10, household size has crept up from 2.92, even as the national average fell. Only 11 of the 133 Colorado cities with 5,000+ people have larger households.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.4 | 36.7 | 36.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 33.6 | 37.3 | 37.7 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 34.6 | 38.0 | 38.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 34.7 | 38.5 | 39.1 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.3 | +1.8 | +2.1 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 34.7, Thornton is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children. The median age has climbed from 33.4 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Residents skew youngest in the southwest and oldest in the north.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.8% | 10.8% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.9% | 11.0% | 10.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 13.8% | 9.8% | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 14.7% | 9.6% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | −1.2 pts | −1.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in Thornton: 14.7% of all households, against 11.6% nationally. The single-parent share is up 0.9 points from 2006–10, even as the national share fell. Of the 133 Colorado cities with 5,000+ people, only nine have a higher share of single-parent households.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Thornton
Renters in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.7% | 33.5% | 32.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 32.8% | 36.4% | 35.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 28.7% | 36.1% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 28.8% | 35.9% | 33.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +0.1 pts | +2.4 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly three in ten households in Thornton rent their homes (28.8%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Among owners, 28.5% have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the southwest; owners are most common in the northeast.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.7% | 8.5% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 5.9% | 6.6% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.7% | 5.5% | 8.0% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 4.6% | 6.0% | 7.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −4.1 pts | −2.5 pts | −3.0 pts | −1.8 pts |
Only 4.6% of homes in Thornton are vacant, far below the national rate of 9.6%, which usually means strong demand for housing. That is in line with the rest of the Denver area. Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 4.1 points, in line with the national trend.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1987 | 1980 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1987 | 1981 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1989 | 1982 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1990 | 1987 | 1988 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +8 | +7 | +6 |
Thornton has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1990, versus 1980 nationally. The median year built has moved up from 1987 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the northeast, while the south has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,136 | $1,128 | $1,051 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,208 | $1,245 | $1,165 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,602 | $1,606 | $1,450 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $2,050 | $2,181 | $1,963 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$915 | +$1,053 | +$912 | +$606 |
Rent in Thornton runs $2,050 a month at the median, utilities included, well above the U.S. median of $1,571. Locally, though, rents here are lower than in the Denver area overall ($2,181). Rents are up $915 a month from 2006–10, an 81% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 32.8% of household income on rent, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Thornton
Bachelor's degrees in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.1% | 38.1% | 36.4% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 21.9% | 40.0% | 37.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 24.3% | 43.5% | 40.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 28.7% | 49.1% | 45.9% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.5 pts | +11.0 pts | +9.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
Nearly three in ten adults 25 and older in Thornton (28.7%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, below the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 7.5 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the north and least in the southwest.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 82.8% | 88.8% | 89.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 83.5% | 89.8% | 90.5% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 82.8% | 91.1% | 91.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 83.5% | 92.1% | 92.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +0.7 pts | +3.3 pts | +3.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in six adults in Thornton never finished high school, well above the national share: only 83.5% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. The share with a diploma is up 0.7 points from 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. Only nine of the 133 Colorado cities with 5,000+ people have a lower share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Thornton
| Period | Thornton | Denver area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.8% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.4% | 7.5% | 7.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.8% | 3.7% | 4.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.7% | 4.4% | 4.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.1 pts | −2.4 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Thornton is close to the national rate: 4.7% of the labor force, against 5.4%. Unemployment is down 1.1 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Thornton compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornton | 2.99 | 34.7 | 14.7% | 28.8% | 4.6% | 1990 | $2,050 | 28.7% | 83.5% | 4.7% |
| Northglenn | 2.72 | 36.1 | 10.0% | 40.3% | 4.3% | 1984 | $1,993 | 29.2% | 89.6% | 3.3% |
| Welby | 2.79 | 35.4 | 14.9% | 29.2% | 2.9% | 1974 | $1,665 | 14.3% | 77.1% | 5.6% |
| Federal Heights | 3.00 | 34.3 | 13.1% | 40.8% | 6.0% | 1989 | $1,616 | 13.0% | 66.6% | 7.5% |
| Westminster | 2.48 | 38.2 | 9.6% | 37.3% | 5.8% | 1983 | $2,082 | 39.0% | 89.7% | 3.6% |
| Sherrelwood | 2.90 | 32.9 | 13.5% | 27.6% | 5.3% | 1967 | $1,828 | 21.4% | 85.7% | 4.2% |
| Derby | 3.43 | 32.8 | 17.0% | 27.4% | 4.7% | 1962 | $1,670 | 15.3% | 63.9% | 4.9% |
| Henderson | 2.84 | 35.3 | 13.5% | 21.0% | 2.8% | 2003 | $2,290 | 26.8% | 89.9% | 2.7% |
| Broomfield | 2.52 | 39.7 | 7.1% | 35.7% | 4.9% | 1995 | $2,358 | 57.8% | 96.6% | 3.8% |
| North Washington | 1.74 | 50.5 | 11.1% | 44.0% | 27.1% | 1971 | $1,530 | 25.5% | 68.8% | 0.8% |
| Commerce City | 3.05 | 35.4 | 12.7% | 21.9% | 4.3% | 2001 | $2,671 | 29.6% | 88.1% | 5.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Brandon, FL · Broomfield, CO · Bismarck, ND · Billings, MT · Bowling Green, KY · Brick, NJ · Boca Raton, FL · Brockton, MA · Bethesda, MD · Brandon, MS
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Thornton. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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