Arizona vs Colorado

The two states, county by county

Both maps share one density scale, so the same shade means the same number of people per square mile on either side of the border. Darker counties are denser. Select a county to open its page.

Side by side

Population and density

Arizona has 7,582,384 residents, 27% more than Colorado's 5,957,493. Arizona ranks 14th and Colorado 21st of the 50 states and DC. Arizona is the more crowded, with 66.7 people per square mile against 57.5, 16% more.

Land area

Arizona has 113,655 square miles of land, 10% more than Colorado's 103,637. The largest county-equivalent in Arizona is Coconino County at 18,616 square miles; in Colorado it is Las Animas County at 4,773.

Counties

Colorado is divided into 64 county-equivalents and Arizona into 15, so an average Colorado county covers 1,619 square miles against 7,577. The typical county in Arizona has 125,773 residents, against 15,336 in Colorado. The most populous are Maricopa County (4,673,096) and El Paso County (752,772).

1 county name appears on both sides of the border: Yuma. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in Colorado has a household income of $72,982, 19% above Arizona's $61,225. The highest county incomes are Maricopa County ($86,973) in Arizona and Douglas County ($144,807) in Colorado, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Phoenix and Denver are 586 miles apart in a straight line; from Phoenix the initial bearing is 40°, NE. On June 21, 2026, Phoenix gets 14 h 22 min of daylight and Denver 14 h 59 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 56 min and 9 h 21 min. Month by month tables are on the Phoenix and Denver daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the Census Mountain division of the West region. By county internal points, Arizona spans 2 UTM zones and Colorado 2.