Rio Grande County, CO

County

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2021 Population

11,476

1.56% 1-year growth

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2021 Median Age

40.7

1.21% 1-year decrease

2021 Poverty Rate

13.9%

10.5% 1-year decrease

2021 Median Household Income

$50,287

15.4% 1-year growth

2021 Median Property Value

$180,600

3.27% 1-year decline

About

In 2021, Rio Grande County, CO had a population of 11.5k people with a median age of 40.7 and a median household income of $50,287. Between 2020 and 2021 the population of Rio Grande County, CO grew from 11,300 to 11,476, a 1.56% increase and its median household income grew from $43,570 to $50,287, a 15.4% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Rio Grande County, CO are White (Non-Hispanic) (51.2%), White (Hispanic) (26.8%), Two+ (Hispanic) (9.85%), Other (Hispanic) (6.8%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.28%).

None of the households in Rio Grande County, CO reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.4% of the residents in Rio Grande County, CO are U.S. citizens.

In 2021, the median property value in Rio Grande County, CO was $180,600, and the homeownership rate was 71.8%.

Most people in Rio Grande County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20 minutes. The average car ownership in Rio Grande County, CO was 2 cars per household.

Rio Grande County, CO borders Alamosa County, CO, Archuleta County, CO, Conejos County, CO, Mineral County, CO, and Saguache County, CO.

United States Colorado

Population & Diversity

Rio Grande County, CO is home to a population of 11.5k people, from which 96.4% are citizens. As of 2021, 4.18% of Rio Grande County, CO residents were born outside of the country (480 people).

In 2021, there were 1.91 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.88k people) in Rio Grande County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.08k White (Hispanic) and 1.13k Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

96.4%

2021 Citizenship

94.4%

2020 Citizenship

As of 2021, 96.4% of Rio Grande County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2020, the percentage of US citizens in Rio Grande County, CO was 94.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Rio Grande County, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Rio Grande County, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.88k ± 114
White (Hispanic)
3.08k ± 475
Two+ (Hispanic)
1.13k ± 515

44.5%

Hispanic Population

5.11k people

44.5% of the people in Rio Grande County, CO are hispanic (5.11k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Rio Grande County, CO as a share of the total population.

Foreign-Born Population

4.18%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

480 people

6.07%

2020 Foreign-Born Population

686 people

As of 2021, 4.18% of Rio Grande County, CO residents (480 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2020, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Rio Grande County, CO was 6.07%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Rio Grande County, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
291 ± 89
Gulf War (1990s)
66 ± 42
Korea
55 ± 43

Rio Grande County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.41 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Rio Grande County, CO employs 5.1k people. The largest industries in Rio Grande County, CO are Health Care & Social Assistance (696 people), Educational Services (674 people), and Retail Trade (550 people), and the highest paying industries are Wholesale Trade ($85,991), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,306), and Finance & Insurance ($65,417).

Employment

Occupations

5.1k

2021 Value

± 544

8.78%

1 Year growth

± 13.7%

From 2020 to 2021, employment in Rio Grande County, CO grew at a rate of 8.78%, from 4.69k employees to 5.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rio Grande County, CO, are Management Occupations (698 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (510 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (436 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Rio Grande County, CO.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Colorado (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

5.1k

2021 Value

± 544

8.78%

1 Year growth

± 13.7%

From 2020 to 2021, employment in Rio Grande County, CO grew at a rate of 8.78%, from 4.69k employees to 5.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rio Grande County, CO, are Health Care & Social Assistance (696 people), Educational Services (674 people), and Retail Trade (550 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Rio Grande County, CO, though some of these residents may live in Rio Grande County, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,190

Median earning men ± $7,615

$41,131

Median earning women ± $8,963

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2021 are Wholesale Trade ($86,580), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($69,141), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($54,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2021 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($167,813), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($73,213), and Public Administration ($55,722).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

Y-Axis

2.75%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 155M people employed in Colorado. This represents a 2.75% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Colorado.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

77
Finance & Insurance, and Real Estate, Rental & Leasing
66
Wholesale Trade
65
Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Domestic Trade

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic production and consumption consists of products and services shipped from Colorado to other states, or from other states to Colorado.

Top Domestic Production in Dollars

Mixed freight
$23.8B
Coal-n.e.c.
$17.7B
Machinery
$15.3B

In 2020, the top outbound Colorado product (by dollars) was Mixed freight with $23.8B, followed by Coal-n.e.c. ($17.7B) and Machinery ($15.3B).

The following chart shows the share of these products in relation to all outbound Colorado products.

Domestic Trade Growth

Showing data for Colorado.

$207B

2020 Value in Colorado

$434B

Projected 2050 Value in Colorado

110% growth

In 2020, total outbound Colorado trade was $207B. This is expected to increase 110% to $434B by 2050.

The following chart shows how the domestic outbound Colorado trade is projected to change in comparison to its neighboring states.

Interstate Trade

Interstate trade consists of products and services shipped from Colorado to other states, or from other states to Colorado.

Most Common Trade Partners

California
$9.69B
Texas
$8.1B
Wyoming
$8.09B

In 2020, the top outbound Colorado domestic partner for goods and services (by dollars) was California with $9.69B, followed by Texas with $8.1B and Wyoming and $8.09B.

The following map shows the amount of trade that Colorado shares with each state (excluding itself).

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Rio Grande County, CO went to Donald J. Trump with 58% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (39.6%), followed by Other (1.33%).

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing the state of Colorado. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Colorado is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (58%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (39.6%)
Democratic Party
Other (1.33%)
Green and Other Party

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Rio Grande County, CO went to Donald J. Trump with 58% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (39.6%), followed by Other (1.33%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Rio Grande County, CO for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Colorado

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

Michael Bennet

Senator from Colorado

Assumed office on January 21, 2009
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Ken Salazar, who had become Secretary of the Interior.

John Hickenlooper

Senator from Colorado

Assumed office on January 3, 2021

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing Colorado.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Colorado over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Colorado

Colorado is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Colorado have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

Measure

In 2021, 0.83% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.785% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2021 were Bachelors Degree (1.12M), Some college (999k), and High School or Equivalent (988k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Rio Grande County, CO was $180,600 in 2021, which is 0.737 times smaller than the national average of $244,900. Between 2020 and 2021 the median property value increased from $186,700 to $180,600, a 3.27% decrease. The homeownership rate in Rio Grande County, CO is 71.8%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.6%.

People in Rio Grande County, CO have an average commute time of 20 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Rio Grande County, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Property

$180,600

Median Property Value 2021

±$16,233

$3,316

Median Property Taxes

±$340

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Rio Grande County, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Rio Grande County, CO compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

71.8%

Homeownership

2021

62.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2021

In 2021, 71.8% of the housing units in Rio Grande County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Rio Grande County, CO compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9767
Census Tract 9768

The following map shows all of the tracts in Rio Grande County, CO colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$50,287

Median Household Income

± $4,938

4.62k

Number of Households

± 461

In 2021, the median household income of the 4.62k households in Rio Grande County, CO grew to $50,287 from the previous year's value of $43,570.

The following chart displays the households in Rio Grande County, CO distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Rio Grande County, CO is from Colorado.

0.465

2021 Wage GINI in Colorado

0.467

2020 Wage GINI in Colorado

In 2021, the income inequality in Colorado was 0.465 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.376% decline from 2020 to 2021, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Colorado was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Colorado in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Colorado across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2021

Drove Alone (77%)
Carpooled (10.4%)
Worked At Home (6.98%)

In 2021, 77% of workers in Rio Grande County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.4%) and those who worked at home (6.98%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rio Grande County, CO have a shorter commute time (20 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.8 minutes). Additionally, 1.65% of the workforce in Rio Grande County, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Rio Grande County, CO compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Rio Grande County, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Rio Grande County, CO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rio Grande County, CO (1.58k out of 11.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.6%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males < 5, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Rio Grande County, CO is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

85.6% of the population of Rio Grande County, CO has health coverage, with 33.3% on employee plans, 28.2% on Medicaid, 14.6% on Medicare, 8.33% on non-group plans, and 1.1% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Rio Grande County, CO see 1024 patients per year on average, which represents a 9.17% increase from the previous year (938 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1614 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 3765 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.7% were men and 48.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,024 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Rio Grande County, CO

Primary care physicians in Rio Grande County, CO see an average of 1,024 patients per year. This represents a 9.17% increase from the previous year (938 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Rio Grande County, CO in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2021, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.1% under 18 years, 14.2% between 18 and 34 years, 40.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 20% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.7% were men and 48.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

14.4%

Uninsured

33.3%

Employer Coverage

28.2%

Medicaid

14.6%

Medicare

8.33%

Non-Group

1.1%

Military or VA

Between 2020 and 2021, the percent of uninsured citizens in Rio Grande County, CO grew by 25% from 11.5% to 14.4%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Rio Grande County, CO changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Rio Grande County, CO.

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Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2022, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 28% in Rio Grande County, CO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Rio Grande County, CO.

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