The People

A large portion of Colorado's residents are descended from American-born pioneers of English, German, Scandinavian, or Irish stock, who migrated to the area during the second half of the 19th century. A sizable number of Mexican-Americans live in the Denver area and in the southern part of the state.

The majority of Coloradans are Protestant, but Roman Catholics make up the largest single religious group. Among Protestant denominations Baptists and Methodists are the largest groups.

In rank among states Colorado moved up from 26th place in 1990 to 24th in 2000. Much of the growth stemmed from migration to Colorado from other areas of the country.

About 83 per cent of the people were white and 4 per cent, black. People of Hispanic origin made up about 17 per cent of the population.

Population density in 2000 was 41.5 persons per square mile (16.0 per km2), about half that for the nation as a whole. About three-fourths of the people lived in a narrow band just east of the Rockies, and about half the total lived in the Denver metropolitan area alone. Elsewhere settlement was generally sparse, and large areas of the state remained virtually uninhabited.