Denver, CO Commercial Real Estate for Lease

Denver, CO Economic Overview

The city of Denver, also known as the “Mile High City” due to its exact elevation of 5,284 feet, is located in north central Colorado, along the front range of the Rocky Mountains, and is home to roughly 700,000 people, within the city limits. Add to this the residents who are in the 12-city MSA and there is a total population of almost 3.5 million, making the area the 16^th-most populous metropolitan area in the country. Denver is equidistant from the large mid-western cities of Chicago and St. Louis and the west coast cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, which makes it a key trade point for the U.S. and a perfect hub for distribution and transportation. Excellent location is one of the reasons why the Denver commercial real estate market has remained so strong.

The Denver metropolitan area is the 18^th-largest metro economy in the country, with an annual gross metropolitan product of nearly $158 billion. In 2016, U.S. News & World Report named Denver as the #1 Place To Live In The USA. By attracting a well-educated and energetic workforce, the economy that was once heavily dependent on the oil industry has now diversified its business base into alternative energy, aerospace, technology, healthcare, finance and telecommunications. Notable businesses located in Denver include AIMCO, the largest owner and operator of apartment communities in the U.S., Molson Coors Brewing Company, Newmont Mining Company, Lockheed Martin and United Airlines.

Denver, CO Commercial Real Estate Market

Denver's strong economy is attractive to national investors from both coasts, as well as international investors seeking to diversify risk, which has resulted in CAP rates being driven down. Government focus on the development of mass transit has increased real estate values, driven growth across the entire Front Range Urban Corridor, attracted diversified large and small business, increased job and population growth, and has ultimately moved Denver from a 2^nd tier to a 1^st tier market. Commercial real estate is in high demand across the city’s neighborhoods, including Downtown Denver, Cherry Creek, and RiNo.

There is about 138 million square feet of office space in the Denver Metro Area and the region is currently undergoing a construction boom not seen since the 1990s. Developers are confident in their ability to leverage the region's focus on mass transit, with 75% of the new office developments being one-half mile or less from existing or planned light rail stations. In 2016, nearly 840,000 square feet of office product was delivered to the market and 5.1 million square feet of office space is still under construction as of mid-2017.

Population growth has driven up demand for retail space in Denver and vacancy rates down to about 5%. There is more than 198 million square feet of retail space in the MSA and investment activity in 2016 amounted to over $1.35 billion. Power regional and super-regional shopping centers are one of the hot spots on the retail front, with new delivery to the market of almost 89,000 square feet in 2016 and an additional 58,000 square feet under construction.

Thanks to Denver's centralized location with the Midwest business hubs of Chicago and St. Louis and the west coast commerce centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the industrial market in Denver has seen a high demand for space for warehouse and distribution use. The Denver industrial market has about 240 million square feet of space.

Denver, CO Office Rental Rates ($/SF/year)

Data provided by Yardi Matrix, for properties larger than 50K SF.

Denver, CO Office Sales

Data provided by Yardi Matrix, for properties larger than 50K SF, which sold at over $5M.

Denver, CO Commercial Inventory Breakdown

Office Spaces

Total: 68,049,016 SF

Data provided by Yardi Matrix, properties over 50k SF, includes office with retail

By square footage range:

50k to 100k SF: 7,399,251 SF / 10.87% of total office
100k to 500k SF: 40,590,268 SF / 59.65% of total office
500k to 1M SF: 15,116,580 SF / 22.21% of total office
> 1M SF: 4,942,917 SF / 7.26% of total office

By class:

Class A+: 9,011,369 SF / 13.24% of total office
Class A: 35,221,780 SF / 51.76% of total office
Class B: 16,820,139 SF / 24.72% of total office
Class C: 683,214 SF / 1% of total office

Industrial

Total: 45,187,345 SF

Data provided by Yardi Matrix, properties over 50k SF

By square footage range:

100k to 500k SF: 39,767,244 SF / 88.01% of total industrial
500k to 1M SF: 3,896,101 SF / 8.62% of total industrial
> 1M SF: 1,524,000 SF / 3.37% of total industrial

By class:

Class A: 16,111,307 SF / 35.65% of total industrial
Class B: 28,015,618 SF / 62% of total industrial
Class C: 366,960 SF / 0.81% of total industrial

Office Spaces with Retail

Total: 324,706 SF

Data provided by Yardi Matrix, properties over 50k SF

By square footage range:

50k to 100k SF: 97,210 SF / 29.94% of total office with retail
100k to 500k SF: 227,496 SF / 70.06% of total office with retail

Employment in Denver, CO

The unemployment rate in the Denver MSA is about 2.6%, roughly half of the national average. Population has consistently grown, with well-educated millennials attracted by job opportunity, an affordable cost of living and a quality of life that many believe is second to none. According to the BLS, the labor force is about 1.6 million workers. In 2015, Forbes magazine ranked Denver the #1 best place for business and careers.

As evidence that Denver's economic diversification from the fossil fuel industry is well underway, in 2016, the IT-Software industry posted the highest job growth gain, coming in at 9.4%. Other industry categories showing strong job growth were beverage production, investments, clean technology, healthcare & wellness, aviation, pharma, insurance, banking & finance, medical device manufacturing, telecommunications, and aerospace.

The largest employers in the Denver MSA (outside of federal, state and local government) are:

University of Colorado educational systems
Denver Public school system
HealthONE Corporation
SCL Health System
Centura Health
Lockheed Martin
CenturyLink
Kaiser Permanente
Denver Health
Comcast Corporation
Children's Hospital Colorado
United Airlines
University of Colorado Hospital
Wells Fargo
DISH Network
the IBM Corporation

Clearly Denver's transition to a 1^st tier market is well underway and the demand for retail, office and industrial space in Denver will continue to be strong.

Education in Denver, CO

The Denver metro area offers numerous educational opportunities with its colleges and universities. A few of the most popular are: Metro State College, Community College of Denver, Red Rocks Community College, Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado at Denver, and University of Denver.

With primary, middle, secondary and charter educational facilities, the Denver Public Schools teach over 84,000 students each year, with a dropout rate of just under 6%.

DPS operates 176 schools and employs over 5,200 teachers, not counting administrative support staff. Also of note is the Boulder Valley School District RE-2 which has received top rankings at both the state and national level. The district educates 30,000 students each year and operates 56 schools over a 500 square mile area.

Commuting Time in Denver, CO

Denver is served by the main interstate freeways I-25 and I-70, along with the I-225, I-270, I-76 and numerous state routes. The surface streets in Denver proper follow a traditional grid system, and commute times average about 22 minutes.

But driving by car is not the only way to commute within the Denver MSA:

With over 650 miles of bike paths an increasing number of people commute to work by bicycle, and Denver is rated the 3rd most bicycle-friendly large city in the U.S.
Mass transit in Denver is managed by the RTD (Regional Transportation District) and operates more than 1,000 buses stopping at the 10,000 bus stops within the Denver-Boulder area.
RTD also operates 9 rail lines serving 44 locations which are responsible in part for the booming commercial real estate market in the Denver MSA.
Denver International Airport (DIA) is the 10^th busiest airport in the world and the 4^th busiest in the U.S. Denver International Airport is a major hub for United Airlines, the headquarters of Frontier Airlines, and is also the focus of Southwest Airlines.

Denver Demographics

Population

Total Population678,467
Male Population(50.0 %) 339,400
Female Population(50.0 %) 339,067
Median Age34.40

Income/Financial

Average Household Income$88,779
Median Household Income$60,098
Median Income Under 25$36,142
Median Income 25-44$67,957
Median Income 45-64$65,412
Median Income Over 65$41,329

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COMMERCIALCafé is your first and only stop when it comes to commercial real estate leasings in Denver, CO. Search through our extensive selection of commercial properties for lease with current space availability in the area ranging between 2326 square feet and 219446 square feet. Discover the right property from our 712 listings by using our advanced search function, which includes search by property type, space availability, management company, lease rates, and more.

Commercial Real Estate in Denver, CO - 712 Properties Available

Denver, CO Economic Overview

Denver, CO Commercial Real Estate Market

Denver, CO Office Rental Rates ($/SF/year)

Denver, CO Office Sales

Denver, CO Commercial Inventory Breakdown

Office Spaces

Total: 68,049,016 SF

By square footage range:

By class:

Industrial

Total: 45,187,345 SF

By square footage range:

By class:

Office Spaces with Retail

Total: 324,706 SF

By square footage range:

Employment in Denver, CO

Education in Denver, CO

Commuting Time in Denver, CO

Denver Demographics

Population

Income/Financial

News

Young, Smart and On-the-Go: Top 10 Metros for Millennials Who Want to Relocate

Top Green Coworking Spaces in the U.S.

Top U.S. Cities Add 682 Million Square Feet of Office Space in 10 Years

Cities near Denver, CO