Colorado business filings dip in Q4 but remain above 2024

DENVER — Colorado business filings declined in the fourth quarter of 2025 following a seasonal slowdown but remained higher than a year earlier, according to a report released Tuesday by the University of Colorado Boulder and the Colorado Secretary of State‘s Office.

The state recorded 42,699 new business registrations in the quarter, a 4.3% decrease from the third quarter but a 4.5% increase from the same period in 2024.

The Quarterly Business and Economic Indicators report is prepared by the Leeds Business Research Division at the University of Colorado Boulder in partnership with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. The findings are scheduled to be discussed during a webinar at 11:30 a.m. Mountain Time. Registration is required.

Business renewals totaled 179,691 filings in the fourth quarter, down 3.4% from a year earlier but slightly higher than in the third quarter.

Delinquent filings increased 9.2% from a year earlier and rose 1% from the previous quarter. Business closures declined 31.2% from the fourth quarter of 2024, though closures increased 18.1% from the third quarter.

Employment in Colorado continued to grow at a modest pace. Employment increased 0.8% in November 2025, ranking the state 18th nationally. The state added 24,600 jobs compared with a year earlier, with the largest annual gains in the information, education and health services sectors.

Colorado posted one of the highest labor force participation rates in the country in November at 67%, ranking eighth nationally and exceeding the U.S. rate of 62.5%. The state’s labor force declined 0.5% from a year earlier, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.9%, ranking Colorado 23rd nationally. The unemployment rate improved both over the month and the year.

Inflation remained below national levels. Consumer prices increased 2.7% year over year nationally in November, compared with a 2.2% increase in the Denver region, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Personal income in Colorado increased 5% from a year earlier, ranking the state 29th nationally.

Monthly data on key economic indicators is available through the Colorado Business and Economic Indicator Dashboard, a joint project of the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office and the Leeds Business Research Division.