Industry and Occupation
Aurora's residents are employed in a wide range of industries, but the top industries are Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance; Professional, Scientific, Management, Administrative and Waste Management; Retail Trade; and Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Accommodation and Food Services. These have been our top industries for the past couple years. If you would like historical data on employment in Aurora, please contact the Data Services group in the Planning Department.
Industry for the Employed Population 16+ Years and Over
Image Description: Aurora's employment breakdown by Industry (percentages in parentheses): Educational services, and health care and social assistance (19.9%), Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (13.7%), Retail trade (10.5%), Construction (10%), Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (9.9%), Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (8.3%), Finance and insurance, and real estate and leasing (7.6%), Manufacturing (5.8%), Other services, expect public administration (4.4%), Public administration (3.7%), Information (2.9%), Wholesale trade (2.6%), Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (0.8%)
Source: U.S Census Bureau, 2018-2022 ACS 5-Year Estimates
Industry vs Occupation
What is the difference?
Industry refers to a group of establishments that produce similar products or provide similar services. It refers to the type of firm for which a person works. Occupation is a set of activities or tasks that employees are paid to perform. Employees who perform essentially the same tasks are in the same occupation, whether or not they work in the same industry. The data on this page reflects the employment of Aurora residents, whether they work in or outside of Aurora.
Occupation for the Employed Population 16+ Years and Over
Image Description: Aurora's employment breakdown by occupation compared to the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood (D-A-L) metro area (percentages in parentheses): Management, business, science and arts occupations (Aurora 35.3% D-A-L 48.2%), Service Occupations (Aurora 18.4% D-A-L 14.3%), Sales and office occupations (Aurora 21.4% D-A-L 20.1%), Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (Aurora 11.1% D-A-L 7.8%), Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (Aurora 13.8%, D-A-L 9.5%)
Source: US Census Bureau, 2018-2022 ACS 5-Year Estimates
Labor Force
Aurora's labor force has grown significantly since the great recession and seen many changes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Aurora's unemployment rate, as of November 2023, is 3.3%. The unemployment rate for the state of Colorado, as of November 2023, is 3.3% and 3.7% for the nation. If you would like specific information on unemployment rates and the labor force please contact the Planning Department.
Unemployment Rates over time
Image Description: Line chart showing unemployment rates in Aurora over time: July 2022 (3.2), September 2022 (2.9), November 2022 (3.0), June 2023 (3.5), July 2023 (3.6), August 2023 (3.8), September 2023 (3.5), October 2023 (3.4), November 2023 (3.3)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - Press Release: Colorado Employment Situation
(Data for given month and year can be found here: https://cdle.colorado.gov/category/press-releases?page=0)