Chaffee County, CO

County

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2022 Population

19,564

0.659% 1-year growth

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2022 Median Age

47.8

2.45% 1-year decrease

2022 Poverty Rate

11.8%

2.14% 1-year increase

2022 Median Household Income

$65,703

7.33% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$514,900

23.7% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Chaffee County, CO had a population of 19.6k people with a median age of 47.8 and a median household income of $65,703. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Chaffee County, CO grew from 19,436 to 19,564, a 0.659% increase and its median household income grew from $61,216 to $65,703, a 7.33% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Chaffee County, CO are White (Non-Hispanic) (84.6%), White (Hispanic) (5.08%), Two+ (Hispanic) (3.75%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.47%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (1.06%).

None of the households in Chaffee 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 Chaffee County, CO are U.S. citizens.

In 2022, the median property value in Chaffee County, CO was $514,900, and the homeownership rate was 69.6%.

Most people in Chaffee County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Chaffee County, CO was 2 cars per household.

Chaffee County, CO borders Fremont County, CO, Gunnison County, CO, Lake County, CO, Park County, CO, Pitkin County, CO, and Saguache County, CO.

United States Colorado

Population & Diversity

Chaffee County, CO is home to a population of 19.6k people, from which 97.9% are citizens. As of 2022, 3.45% of Chaffee County, CO residents were born outside of the country (674 people).

In 2022, there were 16.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (16.5k people) in Chaffee County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 993 White (Hispanic) and 734 Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

97.9%

2022 Citizenship

97.9%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 97.9% of Chaffee County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Chaffee County, CO was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chaffee County, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
16.5k ± 68
White (Hispanic)
993 ± 265
Two+ (Hispanic)
734 ± 242

10.1%

Hispanic Population

1.97k people

10.1% of the people in Chaffee County, CO are hispanic (1.97k people).

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

Foreign-Born Population

3.45%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

674 people

3.34%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

649 people

As of 2022, 3.45% of Chaffee County, CO residents (674 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 Chaffee County, CO was 3.34%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
539 ± 169
Korea
179 ± 122
Gulf War (1990s)
143 ± 112

Chaffee County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.01 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Chaffee County, CO employs 8.75k people. The largest industries in Chaffee County, CO are Accommodation & Food Services (1,404 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,106 people), and Retail Trade (880 people), and the highest paying industries are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($68,150), Manufacturing ($65,469), and Information ($63,750).

Employment

Occupations

8.75k

2022 Value

± 792

−2.16%

1 Year decline

± 13.3%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Chaffee County, CO declined at a rate of −2.16%, from 8.95k employees to 8.75k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chaffee County, CO, are Management Occupations (1,064 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,018 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (870 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chaffee 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

8.75k

2022 Value

± 792

−2.16%

1 Year decline

± 13.3%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Chaffee County, CO declined at a rate of −2.16%, from 8.95k employees to 8.75k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chaffee County, CO, are Accommodation & Food Services (1,404 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,106 people), and Retail Trade (880 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chaffee County, CO, though some of these residents may live in Chaffee County, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,998

Median earning men ± $7,110

$30,859

Median earning women ± $5,344

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Information ($70,000), Wholesale Trade ($67,656), and Manufacturing ($65,938).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Public Administration ($61,250), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,964), and Manufacturing ($46,429).

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

272
Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance
206
Finance & Insurance, and Real Estate, Rental & Leasing
195
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 Chaffee County, CO went to Joseph R Biden Jr. with 52.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (45.4%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.38%).

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

Joseph R Biden Jr. (52.2%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (45.4%)
Republican Party
Jo Jorgensen (1.38%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Chaffee 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 Chaffee County, CO was $514,900 in 2022, which is 1.83 times larger than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $416,100 to $514,900, a 23.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Chaffee County, CO is 69.6%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Chaffee County, CO have an average commute time of 18.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chaffee County, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Chaffee County, CO is $65,703. In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Chaffee County, CO was Census Tract 3 with a value of $72,917, followed by Census Tract 2 and Census Tract 4.02, with respective values of $72,000 and $57,960.

Property

$514,900

Median Property Value 2022

±$39,065

$6,309

Median Property Taxes

±$619

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 Chaffee County, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

69.6%

Homeownership

2022

69.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 69.6% of the housing units in Chaffee County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.1%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 3
Census Tract 2
Census Tract 4.02

In 2022, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Chaffee County, CO was Census Tract 3 with a value of $72,917, followed by Census Tract 2 and Census Tract 4.02, with respective values of $72,000 and $57,960.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Chaffee 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.

$65,703

Median Household Income

± $4,773

9.07k

Number of Households

± 799

In 2022, the median household income of the 9.07k households in Chaffee County, CO grew to $65,703 from the previous year's value of $61,216.

The following chart displays the households in Chaffee 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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chaffee 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 (65%)
Worked At Home (17.7%)
Carpooled (8.41%)

In 2022, 65% of workers in Chaffee County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.7%) and those who carpooled to work (8.41%).

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

18.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chaffee County, CO have a shorter commute time (18.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 5.65% of the workforce in Chaffee County, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chaffee 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 Chaffee County, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chaffee County, CO have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chaffee County, CO (2.14k out of 18.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chaffee County, CO is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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

91.8% of the population of Chaffee County, CO has health coverage, with 35.2% on employee plans, 17.4% on Medicaid, 21.7% on Medicare, 16.6% on non-group plans, and 0.963% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Chaffee County, CO see 1377 patients per year on average, which represents a 21.8% increase from the previous year (1131 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1544 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 358 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,377 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Chaffee County, CO

Primary care physicians in Chaffee County, CO see an average of 1,377 patients per year. This represents a 21.8% increase from the previous year (1,131 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 16.8% under 18 years, 16% between 18 and 34 years, 39.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 27.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

8.18%

Uninsured

35.2%

Employer Coverage

17.4%

Medicaid

21.7%

Medicare

16.6%

Non-Group

0.963%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chaffee County, CO declined by 4.28% from 8.55% to 8.18%.

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