• Original Reporting
  • References

The Trust Project

Original Reporting This article contains firsthand information gathered by reporters. This includes directly interviewing sources and analyzing primary source documents.
References This article includes a list of source material, including documents and people, so you can follow the story further.
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(Provided by Gigafact.)

No.

Despite hosting six military bases, Colorado sits in the middle of the pack when it comes to the share of its population who are veterans. 

Around 332,000 veterans live in Colorado, or about 7.2% of its 4.6 million residents who are 18 or older, the 2023 American Community Survey shows. This puts Colorado 22nd in veteran share of the adult population. 

The state with the highest veteran density is Alaska, with 56,000 veterans, or 10.5% of its adult population of 536,000. Texas has the largest veteran population, at almost 1.4 million — about 6.1% of its 23 million adult residents. 

A veterans service office is available in every Colorado county. In 2024, 73% of the state voted to approve a property tax break for veterans unemployable due to disability.  

In March, the federal Department of Veteran Affairs was preparing to lay off 83,000 employees. Some layoffs have already impacted probationary workers at Colorado offices. 

See full source list below.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Corrections:

This fact brief was updated at 3:30 p.m., April 21, 2025, to clarify that the population numbers cited for Colorado, Alaska and Texas are for residents 18 or older. The veteran population share of Texas was also corrected to 6.1%.

References:

States by veteran population, Data compiled by The Colorado Sun from the 2023 American Community Survey, accessed in April 2025. Source link.

Military and Veterans, Pikes Peak Library District, Apr. 16, 2025. Source link.

Buckley Space Force Base, United States Space Force, accessed in April 2025. Source link.

Colorado Division of Veteran Affairs, Colorado Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, accessed in April 2025. Source link.

Amendment G passes: Colorado voters expand property tax break to more disabled veterans, The Colorado Sun, Nov. 5, 2024. Source link.

Colorado veterans fear fallout from Veterans Affairs layoffs that target thousands of workers, 9News, Mar. 6, 2025. Source link.

Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

Por recently graduated from CU Boulder with a master’s degree in journalism and is interested in writing about the environment and exploring local stories. When not working on some form of writing, Por is either looking for Thai food or petting...