Bent County, CO

County

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2024 Population

5,549

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

40.6

2.64% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

28.4%

10.5% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$50,179

2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$146,900

6.53% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

1,730

8.67% 1-year growth

About

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.

97.9% of the residents in Bent County, CO are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Bent County, CO was $146,900, and the homeownership rate was 65.2%.

Most people in Bent County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.2 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 5.55k people, from which 97.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.23% of Bent County, CO residents were born outside of the country (124 people).

In 2024, there were 3.94 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.98k people) in Bent County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 756 White (Hispanic) and 575 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.9%

2024 Citizenship

97.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.9% of Bent County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bent County, CO was 97.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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)
2.98k ± 137
White (Hispanic)
756 ± 176
Other (Hispanic)
575 ± 199

32.5%

Hispanic Population

1.8k people

32.5% of the people in Bent County, CO are hispanic (1.8k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bent County, CO as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Colorado.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
203,143 ± 10,870 people
India
22,453 ± 3,672 people
China
17,281 ± 3,223 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Colorado was Mexico, the natal country of 203,143 Colorado residents, followed by India with 22,453 and China with 17,281.

Foreign-Born Population

2.23%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

124 people

2.79%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

154 people

As of 2024, 2.23% of Bent County, CO residents (124 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bent County, CO was 2.79%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Gulf War (1990s)
109 ± 108
Gulf War (2001-)
108 ± 92
Vietnam
64 ± 68

Bent County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.01 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bent County, CO.

Economy

The economy of Bent County, CO employs 1.73k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bent County, CO were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (249 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (225 people), and Public Administration (175 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($73,730), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($73,609), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($47,639).

Employment

Occupations

1.73k

2024 Value

± 252

8.67%

1 Year growth

± 18.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bent County, CO grew at a rate of 8.67%, from 1.59k employees to 1.73k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bent County, CO, are Management Occupations (232 people), Production Occupations (178 people), and Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (128 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 Colorado.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.73k

2024 Value

± 252

8.67%

1 Year growth

± 18.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bent County, CO grew at a rate of 8.67%, from 1.59k employees to 1.73k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bent County, CO, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (249 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (225 people), and Public Administration (175 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

$36,168

Median earning men ± $5,215

$32,917

Median earning women ± $6,438

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($171,458), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($73,306), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($55,329).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($85,815), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($52,679), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($44,688).

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

8
Retail Trade
6
Other Services (except Public Administration)
5
Retail Trade

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

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$3.73k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$3.09k
Retail Trade
$3.02k
Finance and Insurance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Colorado went to Kamala Harris with 54.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

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

Voting results are not available for Bent County, CO. Showing the available data for Colorado.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (54.1%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (43.1%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.12%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Colorado went to Kamala Harris with 54.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.1%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Colorado for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bent County, CO was $146,900 in 2024, which is 0.442 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $137,900 to $146,900, a 6.53% increase. The homeownership rate in Bent County, CO is 65.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bent County, CO have an average commute time of 22.2 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.

In 2025, 18% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bent County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.21%.

Housing

Property

$146,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,192

$1,222

Median Property Taxes

±$169

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

65.2%

Homeownership

2024

63.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 65.2% of the housing units in Bent County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 66.1%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$50,179

Median Household Income

± $7,108

1.88k

Number of Households

± 240

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.88k households in Bent County, CO grew to $50,179 from the previous year's value of $49,194.

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.

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in Colorado

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in Colorado

In 2023, the income inequality in Colorado was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Colorado was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 2024

Drove Alone (82.4%)
Carpooled (9.25%)
Worked At Home (6.4%)

In 2024, 82.4% of workers in Bent County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.25%) and those who worked at home (6.4%).

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

22.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bent County, CO have a shorter commute time (22.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.55% 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

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 18% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bent County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.21%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

28.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bent County, CO (1.23k out of 4.35k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 55 - 64.

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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 27.4% of the children was living in poverty in Bent County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children 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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 133 in Bent County, CO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 21.7 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

92.6% of the population of Bent County, CO has health coverage, with 28.8% on employee plans, 33.6% on Medicaid, 13% on Medicare, 15.8% on non-group plans, and 1.33% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Bent County, CO see 0 patients per year on average, which represents a NaNN% change from the previous year (0 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 5399 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1894 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53% were men and 47% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Bent County, CO

Primary care physicians in Bent County, CO see an average of 0 patients per year. This represents a NaNN% change from the previous year (0 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Bent County, CO in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.4% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 36% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53% were men and 47% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.42%

Uninsured

28.8%

Employer Coverage

33.6%

Medicaid

13%

Medicare

15.8%

Non-Group

1.33%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bent County, CO declined by 9.3% from 8.18% to 7.42%.

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.