Rio Blanco County, Colorado Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rio Blanco 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
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Rio Blanco County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,544 | 5,842,429 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2.0 | 56.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.21% | 1.09% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.3 | 35.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 2,805 | 2,364,171 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rio Blanco County grew by 5.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,544 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rio Blanco County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.3% of residents. That is 1.3 points below Colorado as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,392 21.3% -1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,317 20.1% -4.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,363 20.8% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,105 16.9% +1.7 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 48.3% of the people living in Rio Blanco County and men 51.7%.
- Women 48.3% Colorado 49.4%
- Men 51.7% Colorado 50.6%
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100% of everyone living in Rio Blanco County
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Economy
Rio Blanco County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Rio Blanco County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,725 | $95,803 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.42% | 5.41% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.4% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rio Blanco County is about 27% lower than in Colorado.
Housing
| Metric | Rio Blanco County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $150,659 | $484,034 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $919 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 74.3% | 66.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rio Blanco County is about 13.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $919 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rio Blanco County spend about 17 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 70 hours, about 2.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rio Blanco County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 8.4 | 22.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 16.7 | 44.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 70 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,157 | $5,694 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.0% | 21.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 521 | 8,183 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 139 | 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 Rio Blanco County is 8 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
Rio Blanco County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Rio Blanco County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.9% | 40.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.23 | 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
Rio Blanco County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Rio Blanco County | Colorado Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.0 | 80.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.2% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.1% | 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).
Rio Blanco County, CO Compared With Nearby Counties
Rio Blanco County, CO is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 6,544 residents against a local median of 49,764. Rio Blanco County, CO's median home price, at $150,659, runs 57% below the $348,539 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 8.4 min against a local median of 16.4 min, 49% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 49% below the local median it puts Rio Blanco County, CO at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $90,831 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Rio Blanco County, CO, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Rio Blanco County, CO has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 6,544 | $69,725 #4/5 | $150,659 #5/5 | 8.4 min #1/5 |
| Garfield County, CO | 62,477 | $92,123 | $399,998 | 25.5 min |
| Mesa County, CO | 158,600 | $73,544 | $352,929 | 16.2 min |
| Delta County, CO | 31,598 | $57,769 | $344,148 | 16.6 min |
| Uintah County, UT | 37,051 | $73,315 | $309,167 | 13.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rio Blanco County, Colorado.
How big is Rio Blanco County, Colorado by population?
About 6,544 people live in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, in 2,805 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 35.3, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Rio Blanco County, Colorado urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Rio Blanco County, Colorado has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 2% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Rio Blanco County, Colorado an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.2 times the median household income ($150,659 against $69,725), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $919 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Rio Blanco County, Colorado?
Unemployment in Rio Blanco County, Colorado is only 2.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Rio Blanco County, Colorado?
21.9% of adults in Rio Blanco County, Colorado hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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