Missing Millions · 2026 estimate

Colorado is missing 176,100 lung cancer screenings.

About 1 in 10 adults ages 50 to 80 in Colorado qualifies for lung cancer screening and hasn't been screened. Find your county below.

198,300adults qualify for screening under USPSTF 2021 criteria (estimate)
11.2%were screened, 48th of 51 (American Lung Association, 2025); 18.2% nationally
5,432low-dose CT screening scans billed to Medicare fee-for-service by Colorado providers in 2024

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates 2025; CDC PLACES 2025; USPSTF 2021; American Lung Association, State of Lung Cancer 2025; CMS Medicare Physician and Other Practitioners 2024 (CPT 71271). Modeled estimates; see methodology below.

The gap, county by county

Shade shows how many adults ages 50 to 80 are missing screening. Select a county.

El Paso County

20,200

missing lung cancer screenings (estimate)

  • Qualify for screening22,700
  • Adults 50 to 80 missing screening1 in 11
  • Medicare low-dose CT scans, 2024350
Open the El Paso County page

Every Colorado county, ranked

Ranked by estimated missing screenings. Select a column to sort.
1El Paso County20,20022,7001 in 11350
2Arapahoe County18,00020,3001 in 111,412
3Jefferson County16,90019,1001 in 12559
4Adams County16,90019,1001 in 9676
5Denver County16,20018,2001 in 11333
6Weld County11,30012,7001 in 90
7Larimer County10,10011,3001 in 12744
8Douglas County8,90010,0001 in 1598
9Boulder County8,2009,3001 in 13127
10Pueblo County7,2008,1001 in 8336
11Mesa County6,5007,3001 in 9362
12Fremont County2,7003,0001 in 70
13La Plata County2,2002,5001 in 10109
14Montrose County2,1002,3001 in 959
15Garfield County2,1002,3001 in 9185
16Broomfield County1,9002,1001 in 1339
17Delta County1,7001,9001 in 80
18Eagle County1,7001,9001 in 110
19Montezuma County1,4001,5001 in 80
20Teller County1,2001,3001 in 100
21Elbert County1,2001,3001 in 100
22Morgan County1,1001,2001 in 80
23Logan County9901,1001 in 70
24Summit County9701,1001 in 110
25Chaffee County9401,1001 in 943
26Otero County8509601 in 70
27Park County8509601 in 100
28Routt County8509501 in 110
29Las Animas County7408301 in 80
30Archuleta County7007901 in 90
31Grand County6807701 in 100
32Moffat County6106901 in 70
33Alamosa County5306001 in 90
34Prowers County5005701 in 80
35Rio Grande County4805401 in 90
36Pitkin County4705301 in 140
37Gunnison County4605201 in 120
38Huerfano County4004401 in 90
39Saguache County3804301 in 80
40Yuma County3804301 in 80
41Clear Creek County3604101 in 110
42Bent County3503901 in 60
43Custer County3203601 in 90
44Crowley County3103401 in 60
45Kit Carson County3003401 in 80
46Conejos County3003301 in 90
47Gilpin County2803101 in 100
48Rio Blanco County2603001 in 90
49San Miguel County2602901 in 120
50Lincoln County2402701 in 70
51Ouray County2202501 in 120
52Washington County2002301 in 80
53Costilla County2002201 in 80
54Lake County1902201 in 110
55Phillips County1902101 in 80
56Baca County1902101 in 70
57Dolores County1401501 in 80
58Sedgwick County1101201 in 80
59Jackson County80901 in 70
60Cheyenne County80901 in 80
61Kiowa County60701 in 80
62Mineral Countyfewer than 50fewer than 501 in 110
63San Juan Countyfewer than 50fewer than 501 in 100
64Hinsdale Countyfewer than 50fewer than 501 in 140

Methodology

How we estimate the gap

A modeled estimate from public data only. It is not a count of patients and contains no patient information.

missing = adults 50 to 80 × county smoking rate × national eligibility factor × (1 − state screening rate)

  • Adults 50 to 80: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, Vintage 2025
  • Smoking: CDC PLACES 2025 release (Kentucky and Pennsylvania: 2024 release)
  • Eligibility: USPSTF 2021 criteria, scaled to about 14.5 million eligible adults nationally
  • Screening rates: American Lung Association, State of Lung Cancer 2025
  • Who is missing: Census population estimates (age) and American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 (language)
  • Screening activity: CMS Medicare fee-for-service claims for low-dose CT (CPT 71271), 2024, by provider location

Estimates under 50 are shown as "fewer than 50"; others are rounded. Full methodology

Many of them are already your patients.

Oatmeal Health helps health systems and community health centers find, navigate, and screen the people who qualify, alongside the care teams you already have.

Find my missing patients Explore your screening network