Rio Grande County, Colorado Demographics

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

Rio Grande 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
    Less healthy than 89% of counties in Colorado
  • D
    Income Well below average
    Less wealthy than 81% of counties in Colorado
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Rio Grande County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Rio Grande County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Population 11,321 5,842,429 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 12.4 56.1 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.36% 1.09% 0.59%
Median age 43.1 35.2 37.3
Households 5,119 2,364,171 130,235,071

Population in Rio Grande County declined by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,321 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Rio Grande County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Rio Grande County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 21.2% of residents. That is 6.0 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 49.2% of the people living in Rio Grande County and men 50.8%.

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100% of everyone living in Rio Grande County

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Economy

Rio Grande County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.

Metric Rio Grande County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $66,553 $95,803 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 6.74% 5.41% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 10.1% 4.6% 5.2%

The median household income in Rio Grande County is about 31% lower than in Colorado.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Rio Grande County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $328,571 $484,034 $248,835
Median rent $944 $1,761 $1,407
Homeownership rate 67.1% 66.2% 65.2%

The median home price in Rio Grande County is about 29.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $944 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Rio Grande 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 130 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Rio Grande County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 15.6 22.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 31.1 44.1 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 130 184 187
Estimated yearly cost $4,020 $5,694 $5,790
Work from home 9.3% 21.0% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 2,565 8,183 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 304 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 Grande 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Rio Grande County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Rio Grande County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 28.2% 40.3% 31.6%
Average household size 2.15 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 Grande County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Rio Grande County Colorado Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 78.9 80.0 78.3
Self-rated poor health 17.8% 13.2% 16.3%
Smokers 16.9% 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 Rio Grande County, Colorado.

How big is Rio Grande County, Colorado by population?

About 11,321 people live in Rio Grande County, Colorado, in 5,119 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 43.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.

Is Rio Grande County, Colorado mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Rio Grande County, Colorado has 12 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 14% of the U.S. average of 86.

Is Rio Grande County, Colorado an affordable place to live?

The median home costs 4.9 times the median household income ($328,571 against $66,553), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $944 a month takes about 17% 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 Grande County, Colorado?

Unemployment in Rio Grande County, Colorado is 10.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.

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