Rio Grande County, Colorado Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande County, Colorado. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Rio Grande County, Colorado. The estimated population of Rio Grande County, Colorado is 11,476 people, with a median age of 40.7.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
11,476
+1.56%
+0.40%
2020
11,300
 -0.04% -
2019
11,305
 -0.41% -
2018
11,351
 -0.69% -
2017
11,430
 - -

Population of Rio Grande 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%
52.2%
 -1.92%
Black/African American
0.1%
0.3%
 -66.67%
Native
1.2%
1.7%
 -29.41%
Hispanic
44.5%
44.6%
 -0.22%
Asian
0.1%
0.2%
 -50.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0.2%
 -50.00%
Two Or More Races
2.3%
0.6%
 +283.33%
Other
0.5%
0.3%
 +66.67%

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 Rio Grande 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 40.7 -1.21% 38.8 -1.77% 44.1 +3.52%
2020 41.2 -2.14% 39.5 -3.19% 42.6 -1.16%
2019 42.1 +1.45% 40.8 -1.92% 43.1 +3.86%
2018 41.5 +1.97% 41.6 +3.74% 41.5 -0.95%
2017 40.7 - 40.1 - 41.9 -

The median age of Rio Grande 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 9 787 -18.95% 645 -23.51% 549 456
10 to 19 792 +51.43% 734 -20.43% 1,267 591
20 to 29 696 -15.32% 684 -2.57% 592 649
30 to 39 583 +19.53% 652 +27.81% 699 851
40 to 49 571 +18.87% 665 -21.45% 674 533
50 to 59 902 -31.74% 862 -13.05% 619 752
60 to 69 729 +26.4% 754 -4.37% 936 721
70+ 669 +8.78% 705 +20.4% 727 860

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Rio Grande County, Colorado is $50,287.00.

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 Rio Grande County.

  • Under 25
    $23,786.00
  • 25 to 44
    $75,094.00
  • 45 to 64
    $54,250.00
  • 65 and over
    $43,260.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande County, Colorado is currently $69,358.00.

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.

3.40% of households in Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    23.05%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    26.65%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    14.82%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.00%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.38%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    4.70%
  • $200,000 or more
    3.40%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Rio Grande County is $30,215.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande 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
    10.85%
  • Bachelor's degree
    32.95%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    12.56%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    40.78%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.86%

Employment

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

The total population of Rio Grande County over the age of 16 is 9,268.

Of those people, a total of 59.30% 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 Rio Grande County is 55.10%.

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 655 35.90% 24.30%
20 to 24 years 633 90.70% 12.40%
25 to 29 years 608 78.00% 6.10%
30 to 34 years 387 86.00% 0.90%
35 to 44 years 1,809 84.40% 11.50%
45 to 54 years 1,189 76.40% 4.20%
55 to 59 years 743 67.00% 1.00%
60 to 64 years 891 48.50% 0.70%
65 to 74 years 1,419 31.30% 2.90%
75 years and over 934 7.80% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Rio Grande 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 7,203 59.90% 6.20%
Black or African American 17 82.40% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 230 82.60% 14.20%
Asian 7 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 7 100.00% 0.00%
Other 732 48.20% 10.50%
Two or more races 1,072 58.10% 10.00%
Hispanic or Latino 3,876 67.10% 9.40%
Not Hispanic or Latino 4,934 54.30% 5.50%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande County is 5,103, with median earnings of $40,395.00.

Women in Rio Grande County, Colorado earning approximately 102.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 5,103 $40,395.00
Male 2,765 $40,190.00
Female 2,338 $41,131.00

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 698 $73,859.00
Business and Financial 152 $44,833.00
Computer and Mathematical 116 $65,132.00
Architecture and Engineering 16 $40,938.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 14 $54,167.00
Community and Social Service 79 $27,981.00
Legal 7 $0.00
Educational and Library 436 $50,500.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 50 $33,750.00
Healthcare Practitioners 345 $55,728.00
Healthcare Support 201 $26,682.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 50 $19,432.00
Law Enforcement 89 $51,657.00
Food Preparation and Serving 337 $7,634.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 226 $29,444.00
Personal Care and Service 29 $9,145.00
Sales 354 $11,675.00
Office and Administrative Support 510 $33,511.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 234 $30,769.00
Construction and Extraction 262 $29,063.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 326 $35,893.00
Production 177 $31,434.00
Transportation and Material Moving 152 $41,914.00

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 290 $69,531.00 408 $74,100.00
Business and Financial 71 $65,972.00 81 $43,806.00
Computer and Mathematical 42 $66,316.00 74 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 16 $40,938.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 10 $58,750.00 4 $0.00
Community and Social Service 34 $19,079.00 45 $55,560.00
Legal 3 $0.00 4 $0.00
Educational and Library 187 $64,875.00 249 $43,446.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 15 $31,250.00 35 $47,750.00
Healthcare Practitioners 55 $83,250.00 290 $55,687.00
Healthcare Support 34 $25,139.00 167 $27,123.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 20 $0.00 30 $0.00
Law Enforcement 84 $51,512.00 5 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 63 $13,438.00 274 $7,500.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 151 $34,727.00 75 $21,875.00
Personal Care and Service 20 $0.00 9 $0.00
Sales 285 $10,963.00 69 $24,063.00
Office and Administrative Support 157 $33,834.00 353 $31,350.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 186 $32,051.00 48 $15,577.00
Construction and Extraction 260 $28,906.00 2 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 326 $35,893.00 0 $0.00
Production 142 $38,750.00 35 $12,813.00
Transportation and Material Moving 152 $41,914.00 0 $0.00

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 4,616 households in Rio Grande County, with an average household size of 2.45 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 2,932 families in Rio Grande 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 2,219 125 588 1,684
Average Household Size 3.03 2.73 3.97 1.13
Total Families 2,219 125 588 0
Average Household Size 3 2.57 3.54 0

Poverty

Of the 2,932 families in Rio Grande County, 6.80% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Rio Grande 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 6,547 housing units in Rio Grande County, Colorado.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 4,616 70.51%
Vacant 1,931 29.49%

17.73% of the total 6,547 housing units in Rio Grande County are rental units. This is approximately 1,161 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 3,316 are occupied by the owner - or 50.65% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Rio Grande County is $685.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Rio Grande 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
    139
  • Less than $500
    433
  • $500 to $999
    571
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    140
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    11
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    6
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Rio Grande County is $180,600.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    257
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    458
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    566
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    606
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    845
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    390
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    152
  • $1,000,000 or more
    42

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,177
  • 1940 to 1949
    200
  • 1950 to 1959
    542
  • 1960 to 1969
    606
  • 1970 to 1979
    833
  • 1980 to 1989
    922
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,175
  • 2000 to 2009
    763
  • 2010 to 2013
    324
  • 2014 or later
    5

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 Rio Grande County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    291
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,229
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,490
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,606

Commuting to Work

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

20 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Rio Grande 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
    589
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    764
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    686
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    454
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    759
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    260
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    323
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    16
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    20
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    242
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    236
  • 90 or more minutes
    73

Summary

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

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