the population of the state of colorado was about 5,030,000 people in 2013 which number best approximates the population as a single digit times a power of 10

5 • 10^6

Step-by-step explanation:

When we talk about approximations, it is important to know that their purpose is not to find the correct value, only close enough that will do the job. We use them when we want to write something in a shortened way, to save time or when it's impossible to find precise value. Of course, our approximation won't be 100% precise, but it will be acceptable.

So, in this case, we are dealing with a population that is just above five million.

Milion (1 000 000) is a seven-digit number written with six zeros, so its power of ten will be 10^6 (ten to the power of six).

Since the population is around five million, we will approximate it to

5 • 10^6 (five times ten to the power of six)