City of Colorado Springs earns 2026 Silver Military Friendly® Employer, Military Friendly® Spouse Employer designation

The City of Colorado Springs was recognized as a 2026 Silver Military Friendly® Employer and 2026 Military Friendly® Spouse Employer. Military Friendly® Employers are organizations recognized for their commitment to creating sustainable and meaningful career paths for veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses. These employers lead in veteran recruitment, retention, advancement, and culture-building across the workforce.

Nearly 20% of City of Colorado employees are veterans. The City is one of the core employers of the Employer Roundtable. This Roundtable is comprised of the City, Colorado Springs Utilities, Deloitte, USAA and UCHealth to develop best practices. The coalition works closely with local installations, including Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases, Fort Carson, Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station and the U.S. Air Force Academy, to assist with military spouse employment issues, and link military spouses with jobs, opportunities, and resources. This partnership has led to shared efforts on legislative efforts, data collection, job fairs and employment.

"As a veteran and a military spouse, I appreciate working for an employer that truly understands military service," said Jessie Kimber, Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret.) and Director, Economic Development and Senior Military Advisor to the Mayor. "The City of Colorado Springs values the skills we bring - leadership, mission focus, and teamwork - and backs it up with real support and opportunity. It's not just veteran-friendly in name, it's part of the culture here."

The City also partners with local organizations to support veterans and military spouses as they transition to civilian careers. Through its work with Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, the City supports veteran-focused workshops and job fairs that connect service members with employment opportunities and resources. The City also collaborates with the Military Spouse Community Coalition to help advance career opportunities and support services for military spouses in the Pikes Peak Region.

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by consultation with Military Friendly® Advisory Council a group of independent leaders in the military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining an organization's survey score with an assessment of the organization's ability to meet and exceed thresholds for Recruitment, New Hire Retention, Employee Turnover, and Promotion & Advancement of veterans and military employees.

Military Friendly® is the standard that measures an organization's commitment, effort, and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefits for the military community. Over 2,900 organizations compete annually for Military Friendly® designation annually. Military Friendly®, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. Military Friendly® is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense or the federal government. Results are produced via a rules-based algorithm. The data-driven Military Friendly® lists and methodology can be found at MilitaryFriendly.com/mfcguide.