Bent County, CO

County

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2022 Population

5,561

5.12% 1-year decline

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2022 Median Age

40.7

0.489% 1-year decrease

2022 Poverty Rate

27.1%

6.43% 1-year increase

2022 Median Household Income

$45,776

11.7% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$110,700

24.5% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Bent County, CO had a population of 5.56k people with a median age of 40.7 and a median household income of $45,776. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Bent County, CO declined from 5,861 to 5,561, a −5.12% decrease and its median household income grew from $40,972 to $45,776, a 11.7% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Bent County, CO are White (Non-Hispanic) (54.4%), White (Hispanic) (16.8%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (7.46%), Other (Hispanic) (7.25%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (5.74%).

None of the households in Bent County, CO reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.9% of the residents in Bent County, CO are U.S. citizens.

In 2022, the median property value in Bent County, CO was $110,700, and the homeownership rate was 61.6%.

Most people in Bent County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Bent County, CO was 2 cars per household.

Bent County, CO borders Baca County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, Otero County, CO, and Prowers County, CO.

United States Colorado

Population & Diversity

Bent County, CO is home to a population of 5.56k people, from which 96.9% are citizens. As of 2022, 3.65% of Bent County, CO residents were born outside of the country (203 people).

In 2022, there were 3.23 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.02k people) in Bent County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 937 White (Hispanic) and 415 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

96.9%

2022 Citizenship

98.3%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 96.9% of Bent County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Bent County, CO was 98.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bent County, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bent County, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.02k ± 96
White (Hispanic)
937 ± 165
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
415 ± 158

32.8%

Hispanic Population

1.82k people

32.8% of the people in Bent County, CO are hispanic (1.82k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Bent County, CO as a share of the total population.

Foreign-Born Population

3.65%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

203 people

2.95%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

173 people

As of 2022, 3.65% of Bent County, CO residents (203 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bent County, CO was 2.95%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bent County, CO compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
101 ± 70
Gulf War (1990s)
98 ± 68
Gulf War (2001-)
70 ± 64

Bent County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.03 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Bent County, CO employs 1.68k people. The largest industries in Bent County, CO are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (300 people), Educational Services (174 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (170 people), and the highest paying industries are Information ($113,604), Transportation & Warehousing ($56,250), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($52,723).

Employment

Occupations

1.68k

2022 Value

± 250

5.85%

1 Year growth

± 22.7%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Bent County, CO grew at a rate of 5.85%, from 1.59k employees to 1.68k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bent County, CO, are Management Occupations (187 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (163 people), and Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (163 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bent County, CO.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Colorado (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

1.68k

2022 Value

± 250

5.85%

1 Year growth

± 22.7%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Bent County, CO grew at a rate of 5.85%, from 1.59k employees to 1.68k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bent County, CO, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (300 people), Educational Services (174 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (170 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bent County, CO, though some of these residents may live in Bent County, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$34,055

Median earning men ± $3,066

$29,695

Median earning women ± $4,940

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($53,795), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($52,708), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($46,964).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Public Administration ($43,750), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($42,000), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($36,250).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

Y-Axis

1.73%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.87M people employed in Colorado. This represents a 1.73% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 11.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Colorado.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

23
Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance
19
Finance & Insurance, and Real Estate, Rental & Leasing
18
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Bent County, CO went to Donald J. Trump with 66.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (32.2%), followed by Other (1.06%).

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing the state of Colorado. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Colorado is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (66.1%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (32.2%)
Democratic Party
Other (1.06%)
Green and Other Party

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Bent County, CO went to Donald J. Trump with 66.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (32.2%), followed by Other (1.06%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Bent County, CO for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Colorado

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

Michael Bennet

Senator from Colorado

Assumed office on January 21, 2009
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Ken Salazar, who had become Secretary of the Interior.

John Hickenlooper

Senator from Colorado

Assumed office on January 3, 2021

Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are the senators currently representing Colorado.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Colorado over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Colorado

Colorado is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Colorado have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

Measure

In 2022, 0.886% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.84% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Colorado.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were Bachelors Degree (1.16M), Some college (997k), and High School or Equivalent (997k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bent County, CO was $110,700 in 2022, which is 0.393 times smaller than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $88,900 to $110,700, a 24.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Bent County, CO is 61.6%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Bent County, CO have an average commute time of 17.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bent County, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Property

$110,700

Median Property Value 2022

±$17,279

$1,114

Median Property Taxes

±$159

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bent County, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bent County, CO compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

61.6%

Homeownership

2022

58.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 61.6% of the housing units in Bent County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bent County, CO compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

The following map shows all of the tracts in Bent County, CO colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$45,776

Median Household Income

± $5,506

1.81k

Number of Households

± 232

In 2022, the median household income of the 1.81k households in Bent County, CO grew to $45,776 from the previous year's value of $40,972.

The following chart displays the households in Bent County, CO distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bent County, CO is from Colorado.

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in Colorado

0.465

2021 Wage GINI in Colorado

In 2022, the income inequality in Colorado was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.265% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Colorado was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Colorado in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Colorado across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022

Drove Alone (80.7%)
Carpooled (9.08%)
Worked At Home (5.85%)

In 2022, 80.7% of workers in Bent County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.08%) and those who worked at home (5.85%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

17.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bent County, CO have a shorter commute time (17.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 1.59% of the workforce in Bent County, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bent County, CO compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bent County, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bent County, CO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

27.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bent County, CO (1.15k out of 4.23k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bent County, CO is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

93% of the population of Bent County, CO has health coverage, with 29.1% on employee plans, 35.7% on Medicaid, 12.7% on Medicare, 13.7% on non-group plans, and 1.65% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.9% under 18 years, 18.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.8% were men and 50.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.04%

Uninsured

29.1%

Employer Coverage

35.7%

Medicaid

12.7%

Medicare

13.7%

Non-Group

1.65%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bent County, CO declined by 28% from 9.77% to 7.04%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bent County, CO changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.