Skilled Local Talent Strengthens Morgan County Employers

Morgan County businesses draw on Morgan County residents for approximately ⅔ of their workforce, with another ⅓ coming from the surrounding counties. Companies can also draw on employees from the surrounding East Colorado region, as most residents are accustomed to traveling to Morgan County for shopping, dining, educational, and medical needs.

Morgan County, CO

Proud of Our Past

Morgan County is deeply rooted in a strong spirit of pioneerism. Resilience, independence, self-reliance, hard work… The traits that enabled a diverse group of settlers to push westward for a brighter future are still the backbone of our communities. 

Fort Morgan, which served as the seat of Northeastern Colorado’s Morgan County, was originally established as an army camp and military fort in 1864 to aid and protect miners and pioneers traveling along the Overland Trail. The town was named in honor of Colonel Christopher A. Morgan, who achieved distinction with the Union Army during the Civil War and was known as having “a high sense of honor, unswerving morals, honor, gallantry, and the brightest and purest character.”

When the Union Pacific and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads steamed into Fort Morgan in 1882, the wide open spaces and natural charm began attracting settlers from as far away as the East Coast to Canada. By the early 1900s, Fort Morgan boasted nine churches, irrigation canals, a Masonic Lodge, public schools, a city park, a reservoir known as Jackson Lake, an opera house, a courthouse, and a Carnegie Library. This is when the seeds of agriculture were planted, too; multiple family farms began operating, and the Great Western Sugar Company started processing sugar beets, one of many crops still harvested today. 

11,398
Workforce
3.00%
Unemployment Rate
1,376
Veteran Population
3,863
Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Business and Workforce

There are 1,282 businesses in Morgan County, CO, employing 13,866 workers and pulling from a labor force of 13,528 age 16 and above. 2,020 workers commute into Morgan County, CO from outside the county or state. Key industries for the area include:

11,398 residents both live and work in/around Morgan County, CO. The average travel time is 22.4 minutes. 8.15% people have a commute of less than 5 minutes while 5.76% commute 90 minutes or more each way. Of commuters, 10,200 drive alone, 1,814 carpool, and 0 take public transportation. 574 use other modes of transport such as motorcycle, bicycle, walking, etc. 927 residents work from home.

6,464 members of the workforce hold a high school diploma or GED. 2,126 have associates degrees, 2,471 have bachelor’s degrees, and 1,392 hold a graduate or professional degree.

Source: ESRI, 2025-07-22