Gunnison County, Colorado Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Gunnison 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 Gunnison County, Colorado. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Gunnison County, Colorado. The estimated population of Gunnison County, Colorado is 16,851 people, with a median age of 36.1.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
16,851
 -1.57% +3.92%
2020
17,119
+1.89%
-
2019
16,802
+1.6%
-
2018
16,537
+1.99%
-
2017
16,215
 - -

Population of Gunnison 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
85.6%
87.4%
 -2.06%
Black/African American
0.5%
0.3%
 +66.67%
Native
0.5%
0.8%
 -37.50%
Hispanic
9.7%
9.1%
 +6.59%
Asian
0%
0.5%
 -100.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.3%
0.1%
 +200.00%
Two Or More Races
2.7%
1.7%
 +58.82%
Other
0.5%
0.2%
 +150.00%

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 Gunnison 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 36.1 +3.74% 34.8 +2.35% 38 +6.15%
2020 34.8 +0.87% 34 -0.58% 35.8 +1.7%
2019 34.5 0% 34.2 +0.59% 35.2 0%
2018 34.5 0% 34 -1.45% 35.2 +0.86%
2017 34.5 - 34.5 - 34.9 -

The median age of Gunnison 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 9 883 -9.37% 615 1.24% 792 605
10 to 19 1,142 +17.17% 1,091 -25.31% 1,336 824
20 to 29 1,814 +7.58% 1,416 +14.96% 1,951 1,632
30 to 39 1,276 -10.63% 1,119 -10.57% 1,137 996
40 to 49 1,082 +7.98% 840 +19.11% 1,165 1,005
50 to 59 1,046 -22.38% 986 +7.3% 829 1,048
60 to 69 972 +12.7% 808 +11.79% 1,100 891
70+ 580 +53.33% 545 +9% 952 588

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Gunnison County, Colorado is $63,341.00.

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 Gunnison County.

  • Under 25
    $39,583.00
  • 25 to 44
    $64,069.00
  • 45 to 64
    $75,426.00
  • 65 and over
    $61,715.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Gunnison 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 Gunnison County, Colorado is currently $85,925.00.

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.

8.34% of households in Gunnison 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 Gunnison County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    16.15%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    21.46%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    20.56%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    10.28%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    16.42%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.77%
  • $200,000 or more
    8.34%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Gunnison County is $37,642.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Gunnison 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 Gunnison 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
    16.15%
  • Bachelor's degree
    57.07%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    6.15%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    20.07%
  • Less than high school diploma
    0.57%

Employment

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

The total population of Gunnison County over the age of 16 is 14,416.

Of those people, a total of 72.60% 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 Gunnison County is 69.60%.

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 1,122 43.90% 17.00%
20 to 24 years 2,372 85.50% 3.70%
25 to 29 years 1,211 96.40% 5.70%
30 to 34 years 1,085 92.30% 1.50%
35 to 44 years 2,232 89.10% 2.20%
45 to 54 years 1,947 88.20% 2.80%
55 to 59 years 916 72.70% 0.00%
60 to 64 years 1,113 56.40% 9.40%
65 to 74 years 1,568 37.10% 8.40%
75 years and over 850 22.90% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Gunnison 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 13,325 73.00% 3.80%
Black or African American 91 61.50% 7.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native 120 90.80% 0.00%
Asian 27 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 44 0.00% 0.00%
Other 170 65.90% 40.20%
Two or more races 639 71.70% 5.70%
Hispanic or Latino 1,189 80.20% 3.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 12,540 72.70% 3.60%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Gunnison 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 Gunnison County is 10,027, with median earnings of $33,064.00.

Women in Gunnison County, Colorado earning approximately 76.50% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 10,027 $33,064.00
Male 5,555 $37,073.00
Female 4,472 $28,354.00

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 1,449 $60,373.00
Business and Financial 262 $61,500.00
Computer and Mathematical 82 $152,838.00
Architecture and Engineering 98 $76,500.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 195 $34,269.00
Community and Social Service 318 $46,146.00
Legal 130 $166,929.00
Educational and Library 441 $40,994.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 384 $25,786.00
Healthcare Practitioners 395 $57,216.00
Healthcare Support 268 $31,280.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 124 $20,938.00
Law Enforcement 50 $73,750.00
Food Preparation and Serving 944 $21,182.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 370 $21,146.00
Personal Care and Service 464 $16,768.00
Sales 1,075 $14,346.00
Office and Administrative Support 856 $32,214.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 124 $17,564.00
Construction and Extraction 1,031 $41,406.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 206 $48,889.00
Production 122 $20,000.00
Transportation and Material Moving 178 $21,250.00

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 1,011 $60,236.00 438 $61,563.00
Business and Financial 133 $32,102.00 129 $66,417.00
Computer and Mathematical 65 $153,412.00 17 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 66 $95,156.00 32 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 103 $33,785.00 92 $37,604.00
Community and Social Service 113 $54,295.00 205 $41,992.00
Legal 84 $167,214.00 46 $91,389.00
Educational and Library 153 $61,094.00 288 $39,868.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 186 $4,000.00 198 $33,889.00
Healthcare Practitioners 98 $85,813.00 297 $49,375.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 268 $31,280.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 74 $28,750.00 50 $0.00
Law Enforcement 49 $73,594.00 1 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 394 $27,708.00 550 $14,368.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 214 $21,012.00 156 $22,083.00
Personal Care and Service 194 $21,786.00 270 $15,854.00
Sales 432 $38,750.00 643 $13,612.00
Office and Administrative Support 262 $27,727.00 594 $32,717.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 124 $17,564.00 0 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1,012 $41,375.00 19 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 206 $48,889.00 0 $0.00
Production 31 $9,539.00 91 $21,691.00
Transportation and Material Moving 140 $20,417.00 38 $21,827.00

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 7,100 households in Gunnison County, with an average household size of 2.25 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 3,688 families in Gunnison County with an average family size of 2.85 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 3,050 246 392 3,412
Average Household Size 2.82 4.17 3.51 1.46
Total Families 3,050 246 392 0
Average Household Size 2.8 2.9 3.2 0

Poverty

Of the 3,688 families in Gunnison County, 6.50% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Gunnison 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 12,006 housing units in Gunnison County, Colorado.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 7,100 59.14%
Vacant 4,906 40.86%

20.01% of the total 12,006 housing units in Gunnison County are rental units. This is approximately 2,402 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 4,534 are occupied by the owner - or 37.76% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Gunnison County is $1,104.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Gunnison 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
    164
  • Less than $500
    60
  • $500 to $999
    938
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    709
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    497
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    140
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    4
  • $3,000 or more
    54

Property Value

The median value of a property in Gunnison County is $435,800.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    141
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    69
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    100
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    243
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    589
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    1,480
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    1,574
  • $1,000,000 or more
    338

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    874
  • 1940 to 1949
    160
  • 1950 to 1959
    371
  • 1960 to 1969
    720
  • 1970 to 1979
    2,817
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,911
  • 1990 to 1999
    2,288
  • 2000 to 2009
    2,576
  • 2010 to 2013
    281
  • 2014 or later
    8

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 Gunnison County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    313
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,979
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,830
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,978

Commuting to Work

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

16.4 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Gunnison 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
    1,478
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    2,563
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,480
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    893
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    264
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    54
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    661
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    183
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    447
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    490
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    105
  • 90 or more minutes
    143

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Gunnison 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 Gunnison County, Colorado

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