Chaffee County, CO

County

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2024 Population

20,178

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

48.7

2.31% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.28%

16.9% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$84,132

18.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$665,700

11.2% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

9,375

3.03% 1-year growth

About

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.

98.6% of the residents in Chaffee County, CO are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Chaffee County, CO was $665,700, and the homeownership rate was 74.1%.

Most people in Chaffee County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.1 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 20.2k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.45% of Chaffee County, CO residents were born outside of the country (495 people).

In 2024, there were 19.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (17k people) in Chaffee County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 886 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 623 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.6% of Chaffee County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chaffee County, CO was 98.4%, 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)
17k ± 116
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
886 ± 251
White (Hispanic)
623 ± 233

9.83%

Hispanic Population

1.98k people

9.83% of the people in Chaffee County, CO are hispanic (1.98k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chaffee 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

2.45%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

495 people

2.82%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

560 people

As of 2024, 2.45% of Chaffee County, CO residents (495 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 Chaffee County, CO was 2.82%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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
405 ± 147
Gulf War (1990s)
185 ± 132
Korea
154 ± 134

Chaffee County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.19 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Chaffee County, CO employs 9.38k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chaffee County, CO were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,522 people), Construction (1,169 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,155 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($90,461), Utilities ($85,682), and Finance & Insurance ($79,167).

Employment

Occupations

9.38k

2024 Value

± 859

3.03%

1 Year growth

± 12%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chaffee County, CO grew at a rate of 3.03%, from 9.1k employees to 9.38k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chaffee County, CO, are Management Occupations (1,174 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (920 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (790 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 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

9.38k

2024 Value

± 859

3.03%

1 Year growth

± 12%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chaffee County, CO grew at a rate of 3.03%, from 9.1k employees to 9.38k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chaffee County, CO, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,522 people), Construction (1,169 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (1,155 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

$66,001

Median earning men ± $2,558

$52,270

Median earning women ± $4,975

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($121,250), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($112,847), and Manufacturing ($86,023).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($84,000), Construction ($79,766), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($77,672).

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

143
Construction
98
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
90
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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

$67.2k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$50k
Retail Trade
$49.2k
Construction

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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee County, CO was $665,700 in 2024, which is 2 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $598,500 to $665,700, a 11.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Chaffee County, CO is 74.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chaffee County, CO have an average commute time of 18.1 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.

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chaffee County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.8%.

Housing

Property

$665,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$24,286

$7,311

Median Property Taxes

±$650

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 $2k - $3k 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

74.1%

Homeownership

2024

70.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74.1% of the housing units in Chaffee County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 72.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chaffee 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.

$84,132

Median Household Income

± $7,235

9.86k

Number of Households

± 855

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.86k households in Chaffee County, CO grew to $84,132 from the previous year's value of $70,909.

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 $150k - $200k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chaffee 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 (59.6%)
Worked At Home (24.5%)
Carpooled (7.45%)

In 2024, 59.6% of workers in Chaffee County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (24.5%) and those who carpooled to work (7.45%).

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

18.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chaffee County, CO have a shorter commute time (18.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.36% 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

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Chaffee County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.8%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.28% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chaffee County, CO (1.56k out of 18.8k 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 Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Males 25 - 34.

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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 11.5% of the children was living in poverty in Chaffee County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 9.8%.

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 61.1 in Chaffee County, CO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 25.6 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

93.5% of the population of Chaffee County, CO has health coverage, with 41.5% on employee plans, 11.9% on Medicaid, 20.7% on Medicare, 18.6% on non-group plans, and 0.896% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Chaffee County, CO see 1,057 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,057 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1556 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 303 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,057 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Chaffee County, CO

Primary care physicians in Chaffee County, CO see an average of 1,057 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,057 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 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 15% under 18 years, 14.8% between 18 and 34 years, 42.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 27.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.45%

Uninsured

41.5%

Employer Coverage

11.9%

Medicaid

20.7%

Medicare

18.6%

Non-Group

0.896%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Chaffee County, CO declined by 11.6% from 7.3% to 6.45%.

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.