Gilpin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado, smallest in land area behind only the City and County of Broomfield. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,808. The county seat is Central City. The county was formed in 1861, while Colorado was still a territory, and was named after Colonel William Gilpin, the first territorial governor. Gilpin County is part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area.