Jobs & Economy in Aurora
Aurora's economy runs on two real, large-scale institutional anchors distinct from Denver's own aerospace/tech story: the Anschutz Medical Campus (UCHealth, Children's Hospital Colorado) and Buckley Space Force Base -- a genuinely different, institution-driven job base rather than a bedroom-suburb commuter economy alone.
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Learn moreThe Anschutz Medical Campus: a real, large-scale healthcare employment anchor
The Anschutz Medical Campus, located in Aurora, includes the University of Colorado's health professional schools alongside two nationally ranked hospitals -- UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (653 beds) and Children's Hospital Colorado -- together handling more than 2.9 million patient visits a year. UCHealth was named Colorado's #1 employer by Forbes in 2021 and now employs more than 30,000 people across 12 Colorado locations. The CU School of Medicine itself supports more than 5,000 full-time faculty as of fiscal year 2024 -- a genuine, large-scale institutional employment base located in Aurora specifically, not just proximity to Denver's economy.
Buckley Space Force Base: a real, multi-billion-dollar military anchor
Buckley Space Force Base sits inside Aurora city limits, supporting more than 13,000 personnel -- roughly 3,000 active duty, 4,000 National Guard and reservists, and thousands of civilians and contractors. Its year-over-year economic-impact trend carries a real, disclosed disagreement across sources this pass (one 2026 citation put its impact at $2.44 billion, described as down roughly $200 million from the prior year, while a separate source described contributions as having grown to reach $2.6 billion) -- both figures agree the base is a large, real, current economic anchor even without a fully reconciled trend direction.
DIA proximity and logistics/distribution employment
Aurora borders Denver International Airport directly, and its business parks host logistics and distribution operations, including an Amazon sorting facility -- a real, if lower-wage, employment layer distinct from the healthcare and military anchors above. This gives Aurora residents a genuinely broader mix of job types than a single-employer company town.
A genuinely more affordable metro entry point for the broader Denver job market
Beyond its own institutional anchors, Aurora functions as a real, more affordable entry point for residents commuting into the broader Denver metro job market via the R-Line light rail and I-225/I-70 -- consistent with the housing-affordability discount documented on the housing-market page.
Key takeaways
- The Anschutz Medical Campus (UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, Children's Hospital Colorado, 2.9M+ annual patient visits) is a real, large-scale healthcare employment anchor located in Aurora specifically, alongside UCHealth's status as Colorado's #1-ranked employer (Forbes, 2021).
- Buckley Space Force Base (13,000+ personnel) is a real, multi-billion-dollar military economic anchor, though its year-over-year trend carries a genuine, disclosed disagreement across named sources this pass.
- DIA borders Aurora directly, supporting real logistics/distribution employment (including an Amazon sorting facility) as a further, distinct employment layer.
- Aurora also functions as a genuinely more affordable entry point for residents commuting into the broader Denver metro job market via the R-Line and I-225/I-70.
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