Business phone system for pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado

Pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado by the numbers

The Census Bureau counted 352 pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 446110). They employed 7,269 people in mid-March and reported $305.9 million in annual payroll. That is the 32nd highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Pharmacies and drug stores make up 0.19% of the 182,486 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Colorado has 5.9 pharmacies and drug stores, 51.9% below the national rate of 12.3. The average establishment has 20.7 employees against 16.5 nationally. Payroll per employee is $42,081, 5.4% below the U.S. figure of $44,477.

Where pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado are concentrated

Census published pharmacy counts for 16 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Colorado. The largest is Denver, CO, with 158 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 91% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado

12.5% of Colorado's pharmacies and drug stores with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 18.4% nationally. 28.2% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

Why the phone matters for pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado

Independent pharmacies take refill requests, prescriber calls and insurance questions throughout the day, often while pharmacists are filling prescriptions. Sorting calls by purpose keeps prescribers and patients from waiting in the same queue. That holds for pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado as much as anywhere.

Typical inbound and outbound calls for pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado:

• A prescriber's office calls to clarify a prescription.
• The pharmacy calls a prescriber for a refill authorization.
• A customer calls to ask about vaccine availability.

Business texting for pharmacies and drug stores

Independent pharmacies text customers when a prescription is ready for pickup and when a refill needs attention.

Texting from a local number in Colorado requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

What a phone system costs a pharmacy in Colorado

Pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado average 20.7 employees, so the comparison uses a 21-person team. Priced per seat, 21 users would run $630.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $523.95 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $419.00 a month for 21 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $2,532 less than RingCentral for a pharmacy in Colorado of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Colorado

Colorado has 6 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a pharmacy can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for pharmacies and drug stores in Colorado

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

Porting a number you already use in Colorado is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.

Practices that handle protected health information should review their own privacy obligations before recording calls, enabling AI summaries or texting appointment details, and keep clinical conversations out of text messages unless their policies allow it.