Short answer
The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro had 17 aerospace product and parts manufacturing establishments in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns), 0.89% of the US total; the Bureau flags the employee and payroll totals as high-noise. Jefferson County has 5, Arapahoe and Douglas 4 each, Adams 3. Two listed space companies are headquartered in the metro: York Space Systems ($386.2 million 2025 revenue) and Voyager Technologies ($166.4 million). Aerospace contracts performed in the metro reached $2.64 billion in fiscal 2025.
- 17 aerospace manufacturing establishments in 2023; employees not reported (high-noise figure).
- Jefferson County's 5 establishments employ 181 people and Adams County's 3 employ 96.
- Federal aerospace manufacturing contracts performed in the metro totaled $2.64 billion in fiscal 2025, 96% of Colorado's total.
- York Space Systems grew revenue 52% in 2025, to $386.2 million, 97% of it from government customers.
On this page
This page is for people looking for aerospace companies in the Denver area: engineers, suppliers and sellers working the south and west metro's space cluster. It's shorter than our statewide report on purpose. The Census count here is small and partly unpublished, so we give what it shows and point to the Colorado aerospace report for reliable totals (37 establishments and 8,550 employees statewide).
What Census data shows
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, NAICS 3364 (Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing), Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area (CBSA 19740):
| Measure (2023) | Denver metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 17 |
| Employees | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Annual payroll | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Share of US establishments | 0.89% of 1,901 |
The Census Bureau published employee and payroll totals but flags them as high-noise: its confidentiality noise moved them by 5% or more. Size classes are mostly withheld; 7 establishments have 1 to 4 employees and 3 have 20 to 49.
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 5 | 181 |
| Arapahoe County | 4 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Douglas County | 4 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Adams County | 3 | 96 |
One more establishment is elsewhere in the metro. By code, 4 are aircraft manufacturers, 5 make aircraft parts and 3 make engines or engine parts (20 employees). The other 5 aren't published by code; statewide, Colorado has 11 establishments in the missile and space vehicle codes.
Two listed space companies, from their 10-Ks
| Company (ticker) | Headquarters | FY2025 revenue | Employees | What the filing says it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| York Space Systems (YSS) | 6060 S. Willow Drive, Greenwood Village | $386.2 million, up from $253.5 million | 710 full-time | Spacecraft; $372.8 million of revenue from government customers |
| Voyager Technologies (VOYG) | 1225 17th Street, Denver | $166.4 million | About 800 across 14 locations | Three segments: Defense and National Security, Space Solutions, and Starlab Space Stations |
Both are recent listings: York's prospectus is dated January 2026 and Voyager's June 2025, and each filed its first 10-K in March 2026. Larger employers run Denver-area sites from headquarters elsewhere. Colorado's economic development office lists Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, United Launch Alliance in Centennial and Sierra Space in Centennial and Englewood, and Lockheed Martin's 2025 10-K names Denver among its Space segment's significant operations.
Contracts performed in the metro
USAspending shows $2.64 billion of federal contract obligations in fiscal 2025 coded to aerospace manufacturing (NAICS 3364) with a place of performance in the Denver metro's counties, out of $2.75 billion for all of Colorado. The Department of Defense obligated $2.28 billion and NASA $306.7 million.
| Recipient (as named in the federal record) | FY2025 obligations |
|---|---|
| Sierra Nevada Company | $1,420.5 million |
| Lockheed Martin | $1,181.4 million |
| Pilatus Aircraft USA | $26.1 million |
| Ophir Corporation | $8.2 million |
| Lunar Outpost | $1.2 million |
Two recipients account for 98% of the total, so the metro's prime contract picture is two large programs and a few smaller firms. Subcontracts, where most local suppliers sit, aren't in the record.
Prospecting Denver aerospace companies
Start with the counties where the large sites are (Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas), then widen to the 97 machine shops and 1,255 engineering services establishments the same Census data counts in the metro, many of which supply the space programs. Expect ITAR questions on any defense hardware (22 CFR 122.1 requires manufacturers of defense articles to register) and CMMC on contracts with controlled information; Phase 2 begins on 10 November 2026. Bebop can find companies from a description such as "satellite component suppliers in Jefferson and Arapahoe counties with 20 to 200 employees" and explain why each fits.
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Colorado Space Coalition | The state aerospace association, housed at the Denver Metro Chamber and Metro Denver EDC, meeting every other month |
| Metro Denver EDC aerospace | The regional economic development view of the cluster |
| Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation | County EDO that lists aerospace among its industry clusters |
| Colorado Secretary of State business search | Entity status and registered agents |
| USAspending | Awards by recipient and place of performance |
Next step: see the metro's broader business base in the report on companies in Denver.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- County Business Patterns methodology (noise flags), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- York Space Systems Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 20 March 2026
- Voyager Technologies, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 10 March 2026
- Aerospace (key industries), Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, accessed 30 October 2026
- Lockheed Martin Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (Item 2, Properties), US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 29 January 2026
- Advanced Search: prime contract obligations, FY2025, NAICS 3364, place of performance Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro counties, USAspending.gov, US Department of the Treasury, accessed 30 October 2026
- Colorado Space Coalition, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many aerospace companies are in Denver?
Census County Business Patterns counted 17 aerospace product and parts manufacturing establishments in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro in 2023: 5 in Jefferson County, 4 each in Arapahoe and Douglas and 3 in Adams. The Bureau flags the metro's employee total as high-noise, so it isn't reliable. Space operations, engineering and software firms are classed elsewhere, so the wider industry is much larger.
Which aerospace companies are headquartered in Denver?
Voyager Technologies is headquartered at 1225 17th Street in Denver and York Space Systems in Greenwood Village, according to their 2025 10-K filings. York reported $386.2 million of revenue and 710 full-time employees; Voyager reported $166.4 million and about 800 employees. Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance and Sierra Space run large sites in the metro but report to headquarters elsewhere.
What are the biggest aerospace employers in the Denver area?
Colorado's economic development office lists Lockheed Martin Space (Littleton), United Launch Alliance (Centennial), Sierra Space (Centennial and Englewood) and Voyager (Denver) among the state's major aerospace employers. In federal records for fiscal 2025, Sierra Nevada Company and Lockheed Martin received the largest aerospace manufacturing contract obligations performed in the metro, $1.42 billion and $1.18 billion.
Why doesn't Census data show more aerospace jobs in Denver?
Two reasons. The Census Bureau published the metro's employee total but flagged it as high-noise, meaning its confidentiality noise moved the figure by 5% or more, so it shouldn't be relied on. And much of Denver's aerospace work, such as mission operations, software and engineering, is classed in service industries rather than aerospace manufacturing.