Worker Co-ops Are Growing in Colorado: Here's What Our New Report Shows

By Michaela Holmes (Co-op Development Director), Hilda Quintanilla-Gehrke (Co-op Program Manager), Hal Benninger (Co-op Community Organizer), Joel Newton (Co-op Developer).

At Center for Community Wealth (CCW), we are building an economy that works for everyone, and worker cooperatives are integral to that effort. We believe lasting economic change starts with local ownership, in the businesses and neighborhoods where people live and work every day. Our goal is to put power and profit in the hands of workers and the community. We envision an economy built on collaboration and sustainability, where decision-making is shared broadly, and success is measured not just in profit, but in the wellbeing of workers and neighborhoods alike. Research shows that when workers have an ownership stake and democratic voice in their workplace, it leads to higher wages, better working conditions, and increased job satisfaction.

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Worker cooperatives are taking root here in Denver and across Colorado, with 40 worker cooperatives statewide, most active in the Front Range. Center for Community Wealth's Cooperative Team is excited to release our first-ever State of the Denver Worker Cooperative Sector Report for fiscal year 2025-2026, a close look at how the co-op economy in our state has grown, where it's headed and the co-ops driving success, and what it will take to keep building momentum. 

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The top 5 key take aways are:

1. Demographics highlight strong representation by women and Spanish speakers - Colorado is home to over 40 worker cooperatives, led predominantly by diverse communities. Approximately 83% of worker-owners are women, 11% nonbinary, and 67% are Spanish-speaking. Top industries include professional/business services and education/childcare.
2. Technical assistance drives direct business growth - During the 2025–2026 fiscal year, the Center for Community Wealth (CCW) provided over 2,000 hours of technical assistance (TA) and held 36 trainings reaching 322 individuals. Co-ops enrolled in their "Back Office Boost" program saw a 50% increase in revenue, and featured businesses like Casitas Pin Pon Coop doubled their revenue.
3. Strong public-sector and policy ecosystem supporting conversions - Colorado is a national leader in employee ownership (EO), backed by dedicated state infrastructure within the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). Features supporting business transitions to employee ownership include two dedicated tax credits (To Establish and To Expand and Thrive), direct TA scholarships, and local partnerships with Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO).
4. Multi-phase incubation program is actively launching new co-ops - CCW guides startups through its Worker-Owned Co-op Academy (WOCA)—a sequential pipeline including an 8-week Discovery & Readiness stage and a 13-week Design & Develop stage. Multiple new co-ops are launching out of WOCA Cohort 2 in Summer 2026 across diverse sectors like consulting (Alt Shift Thrive), doula care, ecological landscaping, and community cooking.
5. Expanding community infrastructure and peer networks - To sustain momentum, CCW offers online education through its Community Wealth Learning Hub and is launching a new Solidarity Cooperative Fellowship in the fall. Additionally, local worker-owners are currently exploring transitioning their peer-network gatherings into a formal local Federation of cooperatives.

Let this be a call to celebrate our collective progress in launching, converting, supporting, and connecting worker cooperatives and worker-owners across the Denver area and beyond, and to reflect the dedication of the workers, organizers, and partners who've made this work possible. It stands as both a record of what we've accomplished together and an invitation to all who want to help build a more equitable economy.

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Over the last year (July 2025-June 2026), the CCW Cooperative Team has been hard at work providing technical assistance to 32 worker cooperatives across launch, established and businesses transitioning to employee ownership, launching 4 new worker cooperatives, and connecting co-ops for learning opportunities and mutual support through 36 trainings and 6 networking events. 

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The CCW Co-op Team includes Michaela Holmes (Co-op Development Director), Hilda Quintanilla-Gehrke (Co-op Program Manager), Hal Benninger (Co-op Community Organizer), and Joel Newton (Co-op Developer). We look forward to continuing to strengthen our local co-op ecosystem!

CCW Report

State of Denver's Worker Cooperatives

Learn more about Denver's growing cooperative sector by reading the full report, available in both English and Spanish.

Download Report (English) Descargar Informe (Español)