Bent County, Colorado Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Bent County, CO Population Density Map and Area Scores

Area Score

Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.

  • C
    Health Below average
    Among the 3 least healthy counties in Colorado
  • F
    Income Well below average
    Least wealthy county in Colorado
  • F
    Education Well below average
    Among the 3 least educated counties in Colorado

Source: Map AI Methodology

Bent County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Bent County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Population 5,549 5,842,429 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 3.6 56.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.56% 1.09% 0.59%
Median age 40.6 35.2 37.3
Households 1,875 2,364,171 130,235,071

Population in Bent County declined by 9.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,549 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Bent County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Bent County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 27.0% of residents. That is 2.8 points above Colorado as a whole.

Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Colorado, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.

Male and female share

Women are 37.1% of the people living in Bent County and men 62.9%.

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Economy

Bent County has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.

Metric Bent County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $50,068 $95,803 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 5.05% 5.41% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 5.8% 4.6% 5.2%

The median household income in Bent County is about 48% lower than in Colorado.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Bent County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $43,333 $484,034 $248,835
Median rent $1,162 $1,761 $1,407
Homeownership rate 65.2% 66.2% 65.2%

The median home price in Bent County is about 3.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,162 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Bent County spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 129 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Bent County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 15.5 22.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 30.9 44.1 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 129 184 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,995 $5,694 $5,790
Work from home 6.4% 21.0% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,756 8,183 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 315 1,277 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in Colorado: Hinsdale County (6.6 min), Prowers County (7.6 min), Cheyenne County (7.7 min).
Slowest: Park County (42.5 min), Elbert County (41.5 min), Teller County (31.3 min).

The average commute time in Bent County is 15 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Colorado.

Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Bent County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.

Metric Bent County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 14.9% 40.3% 31.6%
Average household size 2.26 2.42 2.53

Highest education index among counties in Colorado: Boulder County (0.5), Douglas County (0.4), Broomfield County (0.4).
Lowest: Crowley County (0.2), Bent County (0.2), Lincoln County (0.2).

Health

Bent County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.

Metric Bent County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 78.0 80.0 78.3
Self-rated poor health 20.7% 13.2% 16.3%
Smokers 24.2% 16.1% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in Colorado: Douglas County (0.9), Boulder County (0.8), Broomfield County (0.8).
Lowest: Costilla County (0.8), Otero County (0.8), Bent County (0.8).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Bent County, Colorado.

How many people live in Bent County, Colorado?

About 5,549 people live in Bent County, Colorado, in 1,875 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.

Is Bent County, Colorado mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Bent County, Colorado has 4 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 4% of the U.S. average of 86.

Can a typical household afford a home in Bent County, Colorado?

The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($43,333 against $50,068), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,162 a month takes about 28% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

How educated are people in Bent County, Colorado?

14.9% of adults in Bent County, Colorado hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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