Chaffee County, Colorado Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Chaffee County, Colorado, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Chaffee County, Colorado. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Chaffee County, Colorado. The estimated population of Chaffee County, Colorado is 19,436 people, with a median age of 49.

We can look at the total population in Chaffee County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
19,436
 -2.71% +3.28%
2020
19,977
+2.15%
-
2019
19,557
+2.05%
-
2018
19,164
+1.84%
-
2017
18,818
 - -

Population of Chaffee County, Colorado by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
84.5%
85.3%
 -0.94%
Black/African American
1.4%
1.6%
 -12.50%
Native
0.3%
0.4%
 -25.00%
Hispanic
10.2%
10.1%
 +0.99%
Asian
0.9%
0.8%
 +12.50%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.7%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.9%
1.8%
 +5.56%
Other
0.1%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Chaffee County, Colorado by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 49 0% 46.8 +2.18% 50 -4.03%
2020 49 -0.41% 45.8 +0.88% 52.1 +0.39%
2019 49.2 +0.2% 45.4 -0.66% 51.9 +0.39%
2018 49.1 -1.6% 45.7 -0.22% 51.7 -1.52%
2017 49.9 - 45.8 - 52.5 -

The median age of Chaffee County, Colorado gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 701 +21.14% 619 +41.13% 846 885
10 to 19 1,089 -24.66% 843 -18.34% 842 683
20 to 29 1,170 -27.56% 687 +43.9% 874 1,037
30 to 39 1,360 +15.33% 837 +25.33% 1,578 1,054
40 to 49 1,140 +7.15% 989 +3.89% 1,200 1,022
50 to 59 1,613 -20.59% 1,458 -10.05% 1,296 1,290
60 to 69 1,475 +25.22% 1,653 +14.88% 1,873 1,876
70+ 1,508 +3.9% 1,676 -9.23% 1,565 1,515

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Chaffee County, Colorado is $61,216.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Chaffee County.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $63,919.00
  • 45 to 64
    $64,370.00
  • 65 and over
    $55,138.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Chaffee County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Chaffee County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Chaffee County, Colorado is currently $79,448.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

5.80% of households in Chaffee County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Chaffee County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    16.63%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    22.22%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    20.26%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.08%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.73%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    8.29%
  • $200,000 or more
    5.80%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Chaffee County is $34,290.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Chaffee County by the total population of Chaffee County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Chaffee County, Colorado, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Chaffee County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    18.03%
  • Bachelor's degree
    37.55%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    13.30%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    29.29%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.84%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Chaffee County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Chaffee County over the age of 16 is 16,925.

Of those people, a total of 55.50% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Chaffee County is 52.90%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 745 51.10% 5.80%
20 to 24 years 888 84.60% 8.00%
25 to 29 years 1,023 82.40% 12.20%
30 to 34 years 1,338 74.50% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 2,387 70.50% 5.80%
45 to 54 years 2,354 85.60% 0.00%
55 to 59 years 1,361 70.20% 7.10%
60 to 64 years 1,898 49.30% 2.70%
65 to 74 years 3,170 23.50% 10.10%
75 years and over 1,761 5.20% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Chaffee County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 15,549 56.40% 4.90%
Black or African American 278 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 71 0.00% 0.00%
Asian 157 24.20% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 136 100.00% 0.00%
Other 212 59.40% 17.50%
Two or more races 522 62.60% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 1,584 52.80% 2.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 14,452 56.60% 5.20%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Chaffee County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Chaffee County is 8,945, with median earnings of $33,835.00.

Women in Chaffee County, Colorado earning approximately 72.10% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 8,945 $33,835.00
Male 4,504 $42,234.00
Female 4,441 $30,448.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 884 $65,085.00
Business and Financial 469 $46,648.00
Computer and Mathematical 233 $82,610.00
Architecture and Engineering 118 $35,645.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 29 $0.00
Community and Social Service 74 $48,125.00
Legal 68 $0.00
Educational and Library 671 $40,181.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 404 $39,286.00
Healthcare Practitioners 650 $41,746.00
Healthcare Support 172 $25,545.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 12 $0.00
Law Enforcement 149 $59,114.00
Food Preparation and Serving 666 $25,725.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 539 $26,181.00
Personal Care and Service 188 $16,458.00
Sales 1,074 $32,553.00
Office and Administrative Support 985 $18,341.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 153 $25,858.00
Construction and Extraction 656 $41,071.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 211 $54,035.00
Production 159 $45,321.00
Transportation and Material Moving 285 $34,830.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 564 $76,731.00 320 $36,667.00
Business and Financial 190 $61,603.00 279 $37,198.00
Computer and Mathematical 233 $82,610.00 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 92 $36,694.00 26 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00 29 $0.00
Community and Social Service 13 $0.00 61 $46,964.00
Legal 0 $0.00 68 $0.00
Educational and Library 187 $41,783.00 484 $29,474.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 245 $44,199.00 159 $19,549.00
Healthcare Practitioners 111 $42,161.00 539 $41,452.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 172 $25,545.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 12 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 136 $58,818.00 13 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 295 $32,968.00 371 $22,386.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 456 $26,671.00 83 $7,096.00
Personal Care and Service 41 $17,135.00 147 $14,044.00
Sales 536 $43,929.00 538 $30,779.00
Office and Administrative Support 87 $62,535.00 898 $17,955.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 108 $25,490.00 45 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 609 $45,186.00 47 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 205 $53,954.00 6 $0.00
Production 129 $46,393.00 30 $26,111.00
Transportation and Material Moving 160 $37,885.00 125 $32,298.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 8,539 households in Chaffee County, with an average household size of 2.11 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 5,270 families in Chaffee County with an average family size of 2.56 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 4,274 233 763 3,269
Average Household Size 2.52 2.74 2.98 1.34
Total Families 4,274 233 763 0
Average Household Size 2.51 2.33 2.93 0

Poverty

Of the 5,270 families in Chaffee County, 10.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Chaffee County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 10,804 housing units in Chaffee County, Colorado.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 8,539 79.04%
Vacant 2,265 20.96%

21.58% of the total 10,804 housing units in Chaffee County are rental units. This is approximately 2,332 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 6,155 are occupied by the owner - or 56.97% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Chaffee County is $1,157.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Chaffee County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    52
  • Less than $500
    119
  • $500 to $999
    661
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    945
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    414
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    72
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    57
  • $3,000 or more
    64

Property Value

The median value of a property in Chaffee County is $416,100.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Chaffee County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    253
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    32
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    44
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    377
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    622
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    2,780
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    1,738
  • $1,000,000 or more
    309

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Chaffee County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Chaffee County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,425
  • 1940 to 1949
    225
  • 1950 to 1959
    724
  • 1960 to 1969
    652
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,327
  • 1980 to 1989
    933
  • 1990 to 1999
    2,036
  • 2000 to 2009
    2,217
  • 2010 to 2013
    1,265
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Chaffee County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    512
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,843
  • 2 vehicles available
    3,811
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    2,373

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Chaffee County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Chaffee County that commute to work in a particular way.

17 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Chaffee County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    1,154
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    2,563
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,324
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    567
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    258
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    282
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    383
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    314
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    106
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    17
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    149
  • 90 or more minutes
    338

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Chaffee County, Colorado in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Chaffee County, Colorado

We have data for 9 places in Chaffee County, Colorado. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.