Number of jobs in city falls from 2000 to ’05

Colorado has two of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas — Denver and Colorado Springs — which alone account for 63 percent of the state’s population, 66 percent of the state’s jobs and 71 percent of the state’s gross domestic product, according to a study released Tuesday by the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.

The Springs ranks 82nd out of metro areas measured for employment in 2005, the study found.

In 2005, 290,869 people were employed in the Springs metro area, representing 12.2 percent of the state’s jobs. That’s a decrease from 292,067 in 2000.

The program identifies the economic assets of the top 100 metropolitan areas as measured by 2005 employment.

The study shows 33.7 percent of adults in the Springs had a bachelor’s degree in 2005, up from 31.8 percent in 2000.

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit independent public policy organization based in Washington, D.C.