Who runs the utilities in Colorado?
Colorado has 2,490,750 residential customers, EIA-861 2024 sales file (97% of EIA's count). Investor-owned 58.4%. Cooperative 26.0%. Municipal 15.6%. Colorado ranks 38th of 51 states, investor-owned.
Colorado homes by utility type
Colorado: customers by type, %
- 58.4Investor-owned
- 15.6Municipal
- 26.0Cooperative
| Colorado type | Utilities | Customers | Share | Price ¢/kWh | Gap ¢ (%) | kWh/mo | Nonmetro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned | 2 | 1,454,305 | 58.4% | 15.16 | not shown | 598 | 71% |
| Municipal | 28 | 388,677 | 15.6% | 13.77 | -1.39 (-9%) | 637 | 2% |
| Cooperative | 24 | 647,768 | 26.0% | 14.96 | -0.20 (-1%) | 841 | 45% |
| Political subdivision | 2 | 0 | none | none | not shown | none | no county data |
| State and federal | 1 | 0 | none | none | not shown | none | no county data |
Colorado prices by utility type
municipal utilities average 13.8 cents, 1.4 cents (9%) below investor-owned at 15.2; cooperatives average 15.0 cents, 0.2 cents (1%) below investor-owned at 15.2.
Colorado gaps mix cost and customer mix; method.
Colorado: which utilities set the averages
Investor-owned at 15.2 cents and municipal utilities at 13.8 are the widest pair in Colorado, 1.4 cents (10%).
Investor-owned: Public Service Co of Colorado holds 94% of priced customers at 15.0 cents, group average 15.2. Among 2 with 5,000+ customers, Public Service Co of Colorado charges 15.0 and Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC 17.0, 2.0 cents apart.
Municipal: City of Colorado Springs holds 56% of priced customers at 14.5 cents, group average 13.8. Among 6 with 5,000+ customers, City of Fort Morgan charges 7.0 and City of Colorado Springs 14.5, 7.5 cents apart.
Cooperative: CORE Electric Cooperative holds 25% of priced customers at 15.0 cents, group average 15.0. Among 17 with 5,000+ customers, Holy Cross Electric Assn, Inc charges 12.0 and San Luis Valley R E C, Inc 18.4, 6.3 cents apart.
Colorado territory, rural or urban
Colorado has 64 counties, 73% of them nonmetro in USDA's 2023 codes. Customer-weighted: investor-owned territory is 71% nonmetro; municipal territory is 2% nonmetro; cooperative territory is 45% nonmetro.
Colorado: largest utilities
| Public Service Co of Colorado | Investor-owned | 1,365,053 | 15.05 | 600 | 71% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Colorado Springs | Municipal | 216,771 | 14.45 | 619 | 0% |
| CORE Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 165,067 | 15.04 | 864 | 18% |
| United Power, Inc | Cooperative | 101,502 | 15.75 | 811 | 0% |
| Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC | Investor-owned | 89,252 | 17.05 | 571 | 57% |
| City of Fort Collins | Municipal | 70,803 | 13.21 | 621 | 0% |
| Mountain View Elec Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 59,789 | 15.52 | 897 | 38% |
| Holy Cross Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 49,982 | 12.04 | 1,150 | 80% |
| Poudre Valley REA, Inc | Cooperative | 49,587 | 12.21 | 884 | 0% |
| City of Longmont | Municipal | 40,855 | 12.30 | 691 | 0% |
| La Plata Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 39,931 | 16.71 | 661 | 100% |
| City of Loveland | Municipal | 37,007 | 14.40 | 622 | 0% |
| Delta Montrose Electric Assn | Cooperative | 32,575 | 14.97 | 716 | 100% |
| San Isabel Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 23,289 | 17.78 | 654 | 86% |
| Yampa Valley Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | 23,253 | 16.76 | 865 | 100% |
| Mountain Parks Electric, Inc | Cooperative | 19,183 | 15.98 | 747 | 80% |
| Grand Valley Power | Cooperative | 17,268 | 15.94 | 792 | 67% |
| City of Fountain | Municipal | 17,242 | 13.74 | 724 | 0% |
| Empire Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 12,899 | 15.31 | 706 | 100% |
| San Miguel Power Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 12,154 | 16.32 | 809 | 83% |
| San Luis Valley R E C, Inc | Cooperative | 9,115 | 18.38 | 646 | 100% |
| Southeast Colorado Power Assn | Cooperative | 8,148 | 17.22 | 736 | 82% |
| City of Fort Morgan | Municipal | 5,999 | 6.97 | 939 | 100% |
| Morgan County Rural Elec Assn | Cooperative | 5,825 | 14.37 | 1,017 | 50% |
| Highline Electric Assn | Cooperative | 5,047 | 14.12 | 896 | 86% |
| Y-W Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | 4,876 | 15.64 | 779 | 100% |
| K C Electric Association | Cooperative | 3,404 | 13.09 | 1,002 | 100% |
| White River Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 2,633 | 13.78 | 700 | 100% |
| Moon Lake Electric Assn Inc | Cooperative | 1,526 | 9.35 | 848 | 100% |
| High West Energy, Inc | Cooperative | 670 | 15.15 | 823 | 33% |
Compare your Colorado utility
- Pick a utility.
Colorado next to its neighbors
Colorado: municipal -9%, cooperative -1% against investor-owned. Gaps are within each state.
More
Similar investor-owned share: South Dakota 64%, Minnesota 60%, Alabama 57%, Arizona 57%
Sources
Colorado: EIA-861 (2024), USDA RUCC (2023); retrieval dates, checksums.
Questions
Which utility type serves most Colorado homes?
Investor-owned utilities, 58.4% of 2,490,750 customers.
Do Colorado co-ops or municipal utilities charge less?
Municipal utilities averaged 13.8 cents per kWh against 15.2 for investor-owned (-9%). Cooperatives averaged 15.0 cents per kWh against 15.2 for investor-owned (-1%).
How many utilities does Colorado have?
EIA-861 (2024) lists 57; residential sales are reported by 33.
Can Colorado customers pick their utility?
No; Colorado shows almost no energy-only supply and the address sets the utility.