Mesa County, Colorado Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Mesa 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
C
Income Below average
-
C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Mesa County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 158,600 | 5,842,429 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 47.4 | 56.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.85% | 1.09% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.2 | 35.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 65,830 | 2,364,171 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Mesa County grew by 15.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 158,600 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Mesa County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.7% of residents. That is 3.5 points below Colorado as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 32,525 20.5% -2.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 32,889 20.7% -3.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 31,075 19.6% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 30,659 19.3% +4.1 pts
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 50.4% of the people living in Mesa County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Colorado 49.4%
- Men 49.6% Colorado 50.6%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Mesa County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Mesa County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Mesa County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,544 | $95,803 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.93% | 5.41% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Mesa County is about 23% lower than in Colorado.
Housing
| Metric | Mesa County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $352,929 | $484,034 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,182 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.5% | 66.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Mesa County is about 24.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,182 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Mesa County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 135 hours, about 5.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Mesa County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.2 | 22.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.3 | 44.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 135 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,173 | $5,694 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.7% | 21.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,390 | 8,183 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 971 | 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 Mesa County is 16 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.
Education & Households
Mesa County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Mesa County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.6% | 40.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 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
Mesa County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Mesa County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.2% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.3% | 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).
Mesa County, CO Compared With Nearby Counties
Mesa County, CO is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 158,600 residents against a local median of 43,807. Mesa County, CO sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 4% above the local median at $73,544 against $70,739. Mesa County, CO has the 2nd highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa County, CO | 158,600 | $73,544 #2/4 | $352,929 #2/4 | 16.2 min #2/4 |
| Delta County, CO | 31,598 | $57,769 | $344,148 | 16.6 min |
| Montrose County, CO | 43,807 | $70,739 | $113,235 | 15.1 min |
| Garfield County, CO | 62,477 | $92,123 | $399,998 | 25.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Mesa County, Colorado.
How many people live in Mesa County, Colorado?
About 158,600 people live in Mesa County, Colorado, in 65,830 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Mesa County, Colorado mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Mesa County, Colorado has 47 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 55% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Mesa County, Colorado an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 4.8 times the median household income ($352,929 against $73,544), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,182 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →