Leading, Slipping, Gaining, Lagging Analysis:
Diagnosing Employment Growth
Across Colorado Counties
Employment Growth by County
County vs Statewide Average: 2010-2021 and 2021
Employment Growth by County
Colorado:
2010-2021 = 1.96%
2021 = 4.38%
Borrowing from an approach that sometimes appears in the finance sections of the popular press, LSGL analysis is a handy and versatile way to compare, portray and classify the patterns of employment growth across all of Colorado's 64 counties. In finance, this technique is used for comparing and assessing the market performance of individual securities or across industry sectors. For example, the performance of the 30 stocks contained within Dow are compared with one another over the past week in contrast to their performance over the past month using the Dow's respective averages as the points of reference.
Here in this Colorado Regional Economic Analysis Project report, we adopt this approach to gauge and compare the employment growth of Colorado's 64 counties over the year (2021) against the backdrop of their growth over the long term period (2010-2021). In so doing we classify their growth and performance into 4 broad categories: Leading, Slipping, Gaining and Lagging.
Employment Growth by County
County vs Statewide Average: 2010-2021 and 2021
Employment Growth by County
white dot
Colorado:
2010-2021 = 1.96%
2021 = 4.38%
This figure displays the 64 counties of Colorado as dots on a scattergram, with the vertical axis representing the average annual employment growth rate over the long-term period (2010-2021), and the horizontal axis representing the employment growth rate for the near-term (2021).
This figure sets apart those counties whose long-term employment growth exceeded the statewide average of 1.96%, by portraying them in the top two quadrants demarcated at 1.96% on the vertical axis. County whose long-term average annual employment growth rate trailed the statewide average (1.96%) are distributed in the bottom two quadrants. In all, 13 counties surpassed the statewide average over 2010-2021, while 51 counties fell below.
Similarly, the two quadrants on the right of this figure present the positions of the 23 counties whose most recent (2021) employment growth rate exceeded the statewide average (4.38%). The two quadrants on the left feature those 41 counties whose employment growth over 2021 trailed the statewide average.
Accordingly, each quadrant portrays the performance of all 64 counties corresponding with their long-term (2010-2021) and near-term (2021) performance relative to their respective statewide averages of 1.96% over 2010-2021 and 4.38% over 2021:
Leading counties () (top-right quadrant)...are the nine counties whose average annual employment growth rate surpassed the statewide average both long-term (1.96%) and near-term (4.38%).
Slipping counties () (top-left quadrant)...are the four counties whose long-term average annual employment growth rate exceeded the statewide average (1.96%), but whose near-term growth has "slipped" by falling below the Colorado average (4.38%).
Gaining counties () (bottom-right quadrant)...are the fourteen counties whose long-term average annual employment growth rate fell below the statewide average (1.96%), but whose near-term growth has "gained" by registering above the average (4.38%) statewide.
Lagging counties () (bottom-left quadrant)...are the thirty-seven counties whose average annual employment growth rate fell under the statewide average both long-term (1.96%) and near-term (4.38%).
   
 
Summary of Colorado's 64 County Totals
 
Short Term Average
 
 
Below
(4.38%)
Above
(4.38%)
 
Long
Term
Average
Above
(1.96%)
4
9
13
Below
(1.96%)
37
14
51
 
41
23
64
 
   
Leading Counties
2021 vs. 2010-2021 Averages
Leading Counties
white dot
Colorado:
2010-2021 = 1.96%
2021 = 4.38%
Turning attention to the top-right quadrant from the discussion above, this figure features the distribution of the Colorado counties classified as Leading. These counties surpassed Colorado's average annual employment growth both long-term (2010-2021 = 1.96%) as well as near-term (2021 = 4.38%). Each is identified by its corresponding ranking based on its average annual employment growth rate over 2010-2021 as noted in the table below.
Of Colorado's 64 counties, just 9 (14%) are classified within the Leading () category. Those counties ranked by their long-term average include:
NOTE: Click on any county name to highlight its position in the chart above.
Slipping Counties
2021 vs. 2010-2021 Averages
Slipping Counties
white dot
Colorado:
2010-2021 = 1.96%
2021 = 4.38%
This figure depicts the distribution of the 4 Colorado counties classified as Slipping (top-left quadrant), in that their long-term average annual employment growth rate outpaced the average statewide (2010-2021 = 1.96%), while they trailed the statewide average near-term (2021 = 4.38%). Again, each county is identified by it's corresponding ranking based on its average annual employment growth rate over 2010-2021.
Only 4 ( 6%) of Colorado's 64 counties are classified as Slipping (). Those counties ranked by their long-term average include:
NOTE: Click on any county name to highlight its position in the chart above.
Gaining Counties
2021 vs. 2010-2021 Averages
Gaining Counties
white dot
Colorado:
2010-2021 = 1.96%
2021 = 4.38%
This figure shows the distribution of the 14 Colorado counties classified as Gaining (bottom-right quadrant), in that their long-term average annual employment growth rate posted below the average statewide (2010-2021 = 1.96%), while they outpaced Colorado's average near-term (2021 = 4.38%). Again, each county is identified by its corresponding ranking based on its average annual employment growth rate over 2010-2021.
Of Colorado's 64 counties, 22% (14) are featured as Gaining (). Those counties ranked by their long-term average include:
NOTE: Click on any county name to highlight its position in the chart above.
Lagging Counties
2021 vs. 2010-2021 Averages
Lagging Counties
white dot
Colorado:
2010-2021 = 1.96%
2021 = 4.38%
This figure depicts the distributions of the 37 Colorado counties classified as Lagging (bottom-left quadrant). These counties trailed the statewide average annual employment growth both long-term (2010-2021 = 1.96%) as well as near-term (2021 = 4.38%). Again, each county is identified by its corresponding ranking based on it's average annual employment growth rate over 2010-2021.
58% of Colorado's counties, 37 of 64, are characterized here as Lagging (). Those counties ranked by their long-term average include:
NOTE: Click on any county name to highlight its position in the chart above.
   
 
Colorado
Employment Growth
County vs. Statewide Average
 
2010-2021
 
2021
 
 
Leading Counties
 
1
3.30
 
23
4.44
313,645
 
8
2.43
 
9
6.92
14,235
 
10
2.34
 
17
5.34
706,592
 
12
2.21
 
20
5.13
1,250
 
2
3.26
 
10
6.82
219,710
 
4
2.86
 
16
5.38
11,040
 
9
2.35
 
22
4.64
249,138
 
11
2.31
 
4
8.89
4,215
 
3
3.11
 
1
18.07
699
Slipping Counties
 
13
2.05
 
33
3.82
478,140
 
6
2.57
 
32
3.89
54,797
 
7
2.55
 
40
2.77
1,780
 
5
2.72
 
39
2.84
167,685
Gaining Counties
 
18
1.56
 
12
6.42
5,136
 
24
1.35
 
3
11.11
2,561
 
23
1.36
 
7
7.27
49,370
 
60
-0.80
 
2
13.42
5,316
 
39
0.65
 
11
6.68
11,523
 
26
1.34
 
13
6.26
14,573
 
44
0.45
 
6
7.39
1,076
 
33
0.74
 
19
5.20
94,079
 
31
0.83
 
15
5.62
25,625
 
22
1.42
 
14
6.20
6,462
 
27
1.26
 
21
4.81
3,309
 
20
1.45
 
5
8.41
9,256
 
19
1.51
 
8
7.17
29,885
 
35
0.73
 
18
5.20
12,597
Lagging Counties
 
37
0.69
 
42
2.73
11,371
 
16
1.76
 
36
3.36
9,175
 
52
-0.01
 
52
0.93
2,618
 
62
-0.97
 
57
0.32
1,899
 
17
1.71
 
29
4.06
280,028
 
43
0.54
 
49
1.50
1,628
 
25
1.35
 
44
2.35
3,523
 
59
-0.45
 
62
-0.35
1,696
 
48
0.31
 
43
2.66
16,050
 
14
1.95
 
24
4.36
453,434
 
41
0.60
 
30
4.05
20,961
 
46
0.41
 
35
3.37
40,191
 
54
-0.07
 
54
0.65
623
 
55
-0.18
 
45
2.23
3,398
 
21
1.45
 
38
3.01
360,251
 
45
0.44
 
64
-2.25
1,262
 
49
0.12
 
61
-0.12
5,063
 
15
1.93
 
34
3.82
3,721
 
38
0.66
 
27
4.25
40,811
 
61
-0.87
 
53
0.79
7,678
 
47
0.38
 
55
0.54
3,518
 
58
-0.42
 
59
-0.06
12,205
 
30
0.85
 
41
2.73
864
 
63
-0.98
 
37
3.10
7,180
 
42
0.54
 
25
4.30
15,145
 
28
0.93
 
48
1.60
17,433
 
57
-0.32
 
47
1.71
9,101
 
34
0.74
 
60
-0.07
2,936
 
36
0.71
 
28
4.12
24,801
 
56
-0.18
 
50
1.16
6,887
 
29
0.90
 
46
2.01
83,197
 
64
-1.11
 
63
-0.65
4,277
 
53
-0.02
 
26
4.28
6,767
 
32
0.80
 
31
3.95
23,912
 
51
0.02
 
51
1.04
1,459
 
50
0.10
 
56
0.47
2,797
 
40
0.64
 
58
0.11
7,353
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.96
 
4.38
3,988,907
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.31
 
3.82
202,752,100
November 2023
REAP_PI_CA1400_1000_LSGL
 
   
Copyright © 2023. Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project (PNREAP). All Rights Reserved.

Please stay tuned...
while your request is processing:

Please wait while your request is being processed...
To offer the most comprehensive set of interactive options in support of your research, CO-REAP calculates and crunches most of the data and generates the narrative and graphic analysis on demand in response to your request.
Your request will soon be available.
Just a few more seconds....Your request has been generated and is now loading the results.