Fort Collins Cluster Profile

Fort Collins is an eclectic cultural and recreational center in Northern Colorado. Fort Collins residents enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle, enjoying the 20 miles of trails within the city and the many parks and rivers nearby. The town has numerous independent restaurants and the most microbreweries per capita in the state of Colorado, including New Belgium brewery, the third largest microbrewery in the United States.

Most of the Unique cluster businesses are located in the northern part of Fort Collins, with a high concentration in the Old Town area. The City has already taken measures to enhance the vitality of the Old Town district, especially relating to the Unique cluster. Preserving a strong downtown area enhances the quality of life enjoyed by the City’s residents and business community.

Businesses

Nearly 400 Unique businesses were located in Fort Collins in 2005. The number of businesses grew 1.0% per year from 384 businesses in 2001 to 399 in 2005 compared to a 0.9% average annual increase nationally in this industry cluster.

About 64% of Uniquely Fort Collins businesses employ less than 10 people compared to 71% of all businesses that employ less than 10 people in Fort Collins. On the other hand, only 1.5% of the Unique businesses employ over 100 workers compared to 2.1% for all businesses.

Employment

The Uniquely Fort Collins industry cluster employed about 7,146 people in Fort Collins in 2005. Employment in this industry cluster comprises about 8.8% of Fort Collins's total employment base compared to a 7.5% concentration nationally. Employment in the Uniquely Fort Collins industry cluster has increased an average of 0.5% per year from 7,018 employees in 2001 to 7,146 in 2005, compared to a 0.8% average increase nationally.

Full Service Restaurants is the largest sector by employment in the Unique cluster and in the Hospitality subcluster with about 55% of cluster jobs and 87% of subcluster jobs in 2005. Breweries is the largest sector in the Retail and Recreation subcluster, employing 39% of subcluster jobs. Fine Art Schools is the largest sector in the Arts and Culture subcluster, employing 29% of subcluster jobs.

Wages

Total industry cluster payroll in Fort Collins was $143.6 million in 2005. The average annual wage for employees in the Unique industry cluster in Fort Collins was $20,100 in 2005 compared to $19,100 nationally for this industry cluster.

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