Otero County, Colorado Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Otero 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 Otero County, Colorado. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Otero County, Colorado. The estimated population of Otero County, Colorado is 18,665 people, with a median age of 40.1.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
18,665
+2.08%
+1.86%
2020
18,284
+0.01%
-
2019
18,282
 -0.23% -
2018
18,325
 0% -
2017
18,325
 - -

Population of Otero 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
51.2%
54.5%
 -6.06%
Black/African American
1.3%
0.7%
 +85.71%
Native
0.3%
0.5%
 -40.00%
Hispanic
42.6%
41.5%
 +2.65%
Asian
0.8%
1%
 -20.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.9%
 -100.00%
Two Or More Races
2%
0.6%
 +233.33%
Other
1.9%
0.3%
 +533.33%

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 Otero 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 40.1 -0.74% 40 +1.27% 40.2 -1.71%
2020 40.4 +1.25% 39.5 -0.5% 40.9 +2%
2019 39.9 -0.75% 39.7 +0.51% 40.1 -0.99%
2018 40.2 0% 39.5 +0.77% 40.5 -0.49%
2017 40.2 - 39.2 - 40.7 -

The median age of Otero 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 1,114 -3.54% 1,140 +7.5% 1,070 1,220
10 to 19 1,493 -6.99% 1,240 +21.73% 1,371 1,505
20 to 29 969 +12.61% 1,052 -25.86% 1,090 803
30 to 39 975 +5.21% 1,137 +7.98% 1,018 1,208
40 to 49 997 -0.06% 973 +5.49% 995 1,011
50 to 59 1,123 -7.81% 1,296 -11.03% 1,035 1,155
60 to 69 1,192 +22.09% 1,113 +11.77% 1,458 1,246
70+ 1,094 -0.6% 1,417 -1.35% 1,083 1,397

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Otero County, Colorado is $45,826.00.

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 Otero County.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $49,838.00
  • 45 to 64
    $55,404.00
  • 65 and over
    $40,101.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Otero 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 Otero County, Colorado is currently $56,626.00.

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.

1.58% of households in Otero 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 Otero County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    26.94%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    25.61%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    24.19%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    9.07%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    10.46%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.15%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.58%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Otero County is $23,689.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Otero 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 Otero 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
    11.03%
  • Bachelor's degree
    21.92%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    14.77%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    50.10%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.18%

Employment

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

The total population of Otero County over the age of 16 is 14,846.

Of those people, a total of 51.70% 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 Otero County is 48.40%.

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 1,347 14.50% 26.70%
20 to 24 years 841 64.30% 2.20%
25 to 29 years 1,052 84.60% 17.10%
30 to 34 years 1,040 79.80% 0.50%
35 to 44 years 2,427 79.20% 6.60%
45 to 54 years 1,812 76.40% 1.30%
55 to 59 years 1,143 52.30% 11.50%
60 to 64 years 1,353 44.20% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 2,231 27.50% 6.20%
75 years and over 1,600 6.20% 10.10%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Otero 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 11,998 53.20% 6.80%
Black or African American 199 44.70% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 136 25.70% 17.10%
Asian 148 66.90% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 13 23.10% 0.00%
Other 1,169 40.80% 0.00%
Two or more races 1,183 50.00% 7.60%
Hispanic or Latino 5,901 51.10% 7.90%
Not Hispanic or Latino 8,072 51.50% 5.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Otero 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 Otero County is 7,190, with median earnings of $33,814.00.

Women in Otero County, Colorado earning approximately 74.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 7,190 $33,814.00
Male 3,852 $39,161.00
Female 3,338 $29,245.00

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 738 $44,183.00
Business and Financial 156 $19,630.00
Computer and Mathematical 70 $57,159.00
Architecture and Engineering 70 $55,833.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 21 $76,705.00
Community and Social Service 279 $54,018.00
Legal 10 $35,833.00
Educational and Library 575 $37,813.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 64 $53,000.00
Healthcare Practitioners 363 $59,306.00
Healthcare Support 150 $24,191.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 59 $17,784.00
Law Enforcement 176 $61,250.00
Food Preparation and Serving 503 $10,234.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 259 $31,458.00
Personal Care and Service 57 $4,850.00
Sales 664 $28,472.00
Office and Administrative Support 696 $29,496.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 207 $22,313.00
Construction and Extraction 477 $49,125.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 416 $31,767.00
Production 700 $42,018.00
Transportation and Material Moving 316 $39,500.00

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 533 $34,511.00 205 $50,673.00
Business and Financial 29 $61,875.00 127 $19,190.00
Computer and Mathematical 34 $0.00 36 $57,045.00
Architecture and Engineering 70 $55,833.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 1 $0.00 20 $76,818.00
Community and Social Service 69 $42,284.00 210 $62,973.00
Legal 1 $0.00 9 $0.00
Educational and Library 170 $48,816.00 405 $34,489.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 19 $58,125.00 45 $52,917.00
Healthcare Practitioners 94 $65,192.00 269 $54,931.00
Healthcare Support 40 $22,368.00 110 $25,179.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 59 $17,784.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 174 $62,574.00 2 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 80 $22,578.00 423 $9,281.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 126 $24,677.00 133 $35,253.00
Personal Care and Service 21 $0.00 36 $14,500.00
Sales 177 $37,723.00 487 $14,970.00
Office and Administrative Support 99 $65,532.00 597 $28,564.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 169 $30,740.00 38 $11,574.00
Construction and Extraction 477 $49,125.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 407 $31,758.00 9 $102,750.00
Production 615 $44,572.00 85 $40,636.00
Transportation and Material Moving 286 $53,056.00 30 $20,417.00

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 7,618 households in Otero County, with an average household size of 2.39 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 4,554 families in Otero County with an average family size of 3.09 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 3,223 446 885 3,064
Average Household Size 3.14 3.26 3.09 1.28
Total Families 3,223 446 885 0
Average Household Size 3.13 2.96 3 0

Poverty

Of the 4,554 families in Otero County, 13.50% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Otero 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 8,746 housing units in Otero County, Colorado.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 7,618 87.10%
Vacant 1,128 12.90%

25.57% of the total 8,746 housing units in Otero County are rental units. This is approximately 2,236 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 5,188 are occupied by the owner - or 59.32% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Otero County is $764.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Otero 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
    194
  • Less than $500
    548
  • $500 to $999
    1,168
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    400
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    120
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Otero County is $107,500.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    661
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,753
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    919
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    870
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    598
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    300
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    69
  • $1,000,000 or more
    18

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    2,620
  • 1940 to 1949
    606
  • 1950 to 1959
    956
  • 1960 to 1969
    822
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,688
  • 1980 to 1989
    711
  • 1990 to 1999
    757
  • 2000 to 2009
    436
  • 2010 to 2013
    150
  • 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 Otero County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    630
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,338
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,308
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    2,342

Commuting to Work

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

21.4 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Otero 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
    874
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,824
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,227
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    620
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    786
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    76
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    303
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    55
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    247
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    192
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    255
  • 90 or more minutes
    287

Summary

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

We have data for 14 places in Otero County, Colorado. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.