As Space Command headquarters and roughly 1,000 jobs are poised to leave Colorado Springs, here’s a look at the overall military employment picture in El Paso County:
Originally, the move was expected to cost Colorado Springs 1,700 jobs.
There are 38,320 people employed by the armed forces in the region, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, representing a majority of people in state working for the military. Nearly 50,000 people work for the armed forces in Colorado, census data shows.
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Locally, Fort Carson accounts for the lion’s share of the military oriented workforce, employing 32,410 active-duty military, reservists, civilian employees and government contractors, according to the U.S. Army. The numbers are current as of February 2025.
The Space Force, the nation’s youngest independent military branch, employs many people across the three bases and stations in the region. Space Operations Command, with headquarters at Peterson Space Force base, accounts for 15,000 active-duty, reserve, National Guard and civilian workers, according to Sean Castellano, a U.S. Space Force spokesperson.
This number does not include people assigned to Space Command.
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As of March, the U.S. Air Force Academy employs 10,482 people, according to a Fiscal Year 2024 economic impact report. This number includes cadets, active-duty military, reservists and civilian workers.
U.S. Northern Command, one of 11 combatant commands, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command account for an additional 1,270 personnel in Colorado Springs, a spokesperson with Northern Command said.