By the OnPAR Federal Retirement Education editorial team · Last updated

Denver is the Interior Department's western hub, home to Geological Survey and Bureau of Reclamation staff alongside a large VA workforce. We help Denver-area feds by phone or video, with no local office.

Federal employers in the area

OPM's August 2026 workforce data shows 14,307 federal civilians on duty in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro[19]. That count leaves out employees whose metro OPM does not publish, mainly security agencies such as most of DoD[20], so the real number is higher. The largest groups are the Veterans Health Administration (4,247), Interior's Office of the Secretary (1,241), the U.S. Geological Survey (581), the Bureau of Reclamation (543) and EPA (543)[19].

Who to call about your benefits

Employees start with their agency's HR office. Air Force civilians call AFPC BEST at 1-800-525-0102, option 2[2]. Retirees call OPM at 1-888-767-6738[3]. For Social Security questions, find your nearest SSA office with SSA's official locator[21]; we don't list addresses here because offices move.

Colorado tax on your FERS annuity

Colorado lets you subtract up to $20,000 of pension and annuity income at ages 55 to 64 and up to $24,000 at 65 or older. That subtraction is reduced by any Social Security subtraction you claim[35].

Cost of living

BEA puts the 2024 price level for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro at 105.8, where 100 is the U.S. average[1].

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Sources

  1. BEA: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area (2024 data, released Feb 19, 2026)
  2. DoD DCPAS: Benefits Service Centers (official DoD civilian benefits contacts)
  3. OPM: Retirement Services contact
  4. OPM Federal Workforce Data: Federal Employment raw data, August 2026 (EHRI Status, published Oct 4, 2026)
  5. OPM Data Release Policy (security-agency duty stations outside DC are not published by metro)
  6. SSA: Social Security Office Locator
  7. Colorado Department of Revenue: Social Security, Pensions and Annuities

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