Federal Agencies with a Colorado Presence
Colorado hosts roughly 55,000 federal civilian employees and tens of thousands of active-duty military personnel — one of the highest per-capita federal workforce densities of any state outside the DC region. The largest concentrations are the Denver metro area, the Colorado Springs military corridor, and the Boulder research corridor.
If you work at any of the agencies below, your retirement decisions follow the same core mechanics: FERS pension formula, TSP mechanics, FEHB and Medicare coordination, FEGLI reduction elections. Stonebridge Capital Management works exclusively with federal employees across all of these agencies.
Denver Metro Federal Agencies
Denver Federal Center (Lakewood)
The Denver Federal Center in Lakewood is one of the largest federal complexes in the country outside Washington DC — a 600-acre campus hosting 27+ federal agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regional operations, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8, and FEMA Region 8. Roughly 6,000+ federal employees work here.
U.S. Mint at Denver
One of two active coin-producing U.S. Mint facilities in the country, located in downtown Denver. Produces circulating coinage and commemorative coins. Approximately 400 federal employees.
IRS Denver Service Center
Regional IRS operations facility serving taxpayers across the Rocky Mountain region. Located in the Denver metro area.
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center (Aurora)
The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Aurora is the primary VA hospital for the region — one of the largest and newest VA medical facilities in the western United States. Over 3,500 federal employees.
Buckley Space Force Base (Aurora)
Home to the 460th Space Wing and Missile Warning and Space Surveillance operations. Approximately 4,000 active-duty and civilian federal personnel.
NREL — National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden)
The Department of Energy’s primary renewable energy research laboratory. NREL leads federal research on solar, wind, biomass, and grid technologies. Approximately 3,000 federal employees and contractors.
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City — Denver Branch
Operates the Federal Reserve’s Denver-area branch, handling regional banking, currency, and economic data. Located in downtown Denver.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
Federal appellate court serving Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming, and portions of Yellowstone National Park. Housed in the historic Byron White U.S. Courthouse in Denver.
National Park Service Intermountain Region Office (Lakewood)
Regional NPS headquarters overseeing parks across Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Texas, and other states.
Colorado Springs Federal Installations
Peterson Space Force Base
Home to U.S. Space Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), and the 21st Space Wing. Approximately 12,000 active-duty and civilian personnel.
Schriever Space Force Base
Located east of Colorado Springs. Home to the 50th Space Wing and Global Positioning System operations. Approximately 8,500 personnel.
U.S. Air Force Academy
The Air Force’s undergraduate academy, located north of Colorado Springs. Approximately 4,300 cadets plus 3,000+ federal civilian and military staff.
Fort Carson (U.S. Army)
Home to the 4th Infantry Division, 10th Special Forces Group, and 71st Ordnance Group. One of the largest Army installations in the country. Approximately 30,000 active-duty soldiers plus federal civilian personnel.
Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station
The famous NORAD Cheyenne Mountain complex — a hardened alternate command center inside Cheyenne Mountain. Now primarily a training and communications facility.
Boulder Federal Research Corridor
NOAA — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA’s Boulder campus is one of the largest concentrations of atmospheric and space weather research in the world. Home to the Space Weather Prediction Center, Earth System Research Laboratories, and the National Weather Service headquarters for the region.
NIST — National Institute of Standards and Technology
NIST’s Boulder laboratory is a leader in physical measurement science, atomic clocks, and quantum information research. Approximately 900 federal employees.
NCAR — National Center for Atmospheric Research
Federally funded research center for weather, climate, and atmospheric science. Operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research under NSF sponsorship.
USDA Agricultural Research Service (Fort Collins)
USDA’s National Wildlife Research Center and other agricultural research operations, located in Fort Collins.
Statewide and Front Range Agencies
FAA Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (Longmont)
Federal Aviation Administration facility managing air traffic across the Rocky Mountain region.
U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region Office (Lakewood)
Regional USFS headquarters managing national forests across Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and portions of surrounding states.
Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Office (Lakewood)
Regional BIA office serving tribes across the Southwest and Great Plains.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region
Regional USFWS office in Lakewood managing eight states across the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains region.
Social Security Administration Regional Office (Denver)
Regional SSA operations serving Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Working with Federal Employees Across Colorado
Stonebridge Capital Management works exclusively with federal employees across every Colorado agency. Our approach and services don’t change based on where you work — the FERS pension formula, TSP mechanics, and FEHB/Medicare coordination rules are identical for a Buckley SFB employee, an NREL researcher, and a Fort Carson civilian. What varies is the retirement date decision, the TSP rollover strategy, and the timing of Social Security — all of which depend on your specific situation.
Whether you’re near retirement or a decade out, a personalized Federal Retirement Report walks through your specific numbers — pension estimate, TSP strategy, Social Security timing, FEHB decision at 65. There is no charge and no obligation.
If you’d like to see how we work with federal employees at your specific agency, contact us directly at (303) 647-3585 or request a Federal Retirement Report.
More Colorado federal retirement guides
Start with the overview at Federal Retirement Planning in Denver, Colorado, or jump to guides for other cities and specific installations across the Front Range.