The Colorado Plateau region is home to over 1 million residents today. Its population growth is outpacing the rest of the western U. S. as a whole, as people flee the urbanization of the Pacific coast region. One-fourth of the population is composed of Native Americans, most of whom are Navajo. The Navajo Reservation occupies 25,000 square miles of the Colorado Plateau. The Hopi and Zuni Reservations also occupy significant areas of the Colorado Plateau.

The Colorado Plateau is home to many of the world-famous western U. S. National Parks and National Monuments, including Grand Canyon National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Pipe Spring National Monument.