Rocky Mountain High

Just how much does the presence of federal operations mean to a local economy? In the case of Denver, $6.6 billion, according to a study commissioned by the Denver Federal Executive Board. The study, reported in the Denver Post Thursday, found that 160 federal agencies operate in and around the city, employing nearly 40,000 workers. The biggest employers include the Postal Service, Buckley Air Force Base, a Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey. Larry Grandinson, executive director of the Denver FEB, says the city has the highest number of federal agencies outside Washington, and is in the top five in terms of number of federal employees. (Hat tip: FedSmith.)