Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States.1. 1  Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010.2,3.
Metro Denver has a population of more than three million people, and has a growth rate that has consistently outpaced the national rate every decade since the 1930s. The region grew steadily in the past 10 years, and by 2020, Metro Denver's population is anticipated to increase to more than 3.3 million.
The city and county of Denver is the second largest county by population, home to 600,158 people as of the 2010 U.S. census. It is followed by Arapahoe County, with 572,003 people; Jefferson County, with 534,543 people; and Adams county, with 441,603 people. The smallest county by population is San Juan County, with a population of 699.