Custer County, CO

County

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2024 Population

5,247

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

58.2

0.683% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

12.7%

31.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$72,674

0.0358% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$392,100

9.28% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

2,037

0.972% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Custer 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.

98.9% of the residents in Custer County, CO are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Custer County, CO was $392,100, and the homeownership rate was 85.3%.

Most people in Custer County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 36.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Custer County, CO was 2 cars per household.

Custer County, CO borders Fremont County, CO, Huerfano County, CO, Pueblo County, CO, and Saguache County, CO.

United States Colorado

Population & Diversity

Custer County, CO is home to a population of 5.25k people, from which 98.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.29% of Custer County, CO residents were born outside of the country (120 people).

In 2024, there were 30.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.66k people) in Custer County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 155 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 112 Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Custer County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Custer County, CO was 98.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Custer County, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.66k ± 173
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
155 ± 87
Other (Non-Hispanic)
112 ± 96

4.17%

Hispanic Population

219 people

4.17% of the people in Custer County, CO are hispanic (219 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Custer 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

2.29%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

120 people

2.56%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

130 people

As of 2024, 2.29% of Custer County, CO residents (120 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 Custer County, CO was 2.56%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
212 ± 82
Gulf War (2001-)
130 ± 73
World War II
8 ± 14

Custer County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.63 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Custer County, CO employs 2.04k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Custer County, CO were Construction (280 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (229 people), and Retail Trade (192 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($240,865), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($133,269), and Health Care & Social Assistance ($100,229).

Employment

Occupations

2.04k

2024 Value

± 311

−0.972%

1 Year decline

± 22.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Custer County, CO declined at a rate of −0.972%, from 2.06k employees to 2.04k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Custer County, CO, are Management Occupations (299 people), Transportation Occupations (199 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (196 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Custer 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

2.04k

2024 Value

± 311

−0.972%

1 Year decline

± 22.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Custer County, CO declined at a rate of −0.972%, from 2.06k employees to 2.04k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Custer County, CO, are Construction (280 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (229 people), and Retail Trade (192 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Custer County, CO, though some of these residents may live in Custer County, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,711

Median earning men ± $6,300

$50,776

Median earning women ± $25,097

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($140,946), Manufacturing ($140,473), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($100,238).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($88,917), Manufacturing ($86,769), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($79,000).

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

30
Construction
15
Retail Trade
14
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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

$5.42k
Retail Trade
$3.82k
Construction
$3.42k
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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 Custer 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 Custer County, CO was $392,100 in 2024, which is 1.18 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $358,800 to $392,100, a 9.28% increase. The homeownership rate in Custer County, CO is 85.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Custer County, CO have an average commute time of 36.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Custer County, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Custer County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.38%.

Housing

Property

$392,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$35,742

$2,280

Median Property Taxes

±$305

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 Custer 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 Custer County, CO compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

85.3%

Homeownership

2024

66.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 85.3% of the housing units in Custer County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 85.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Custer 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.

$72,674

Median Household Income

± $7,045

2.67k

Number of Households

± 344

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.67k households in Custer County, CO declined from $72,674 from the previous year's value of $72,700.

The following chart displays the households in Custer 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 Custer 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 (58.3%)
Worked At Home (23.5%)
Carpooled (15.1%)

In 2024, 58.3% of workers in Custer County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (23.5%) and those who carpooled to work (15.1%).

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

36.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Custer County, CO have a longer commute time (36.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 13.2% of the workforce in Custer County, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Custer County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.38%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

12.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Custer County, CO (665 out of 5.24k 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 Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Custer 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, 22.3% of the children was living in poverty in Custer County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.3%.

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 125 in Custer County, CO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 88.3 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95% of the population of Custer County, CO has health coverage, with 34.1% on employee plans, 14.4% on Medicaid, 25.7% on Medicare, 17.4% on non-group plans, and 3.36% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Custer County, CO see 5,045 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (5,045 patients). Compare this to dentists who see null patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1107 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.6% were men and 49.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

5,045 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Custer County, CO

Primary care physicians in Custer County, CO see an average of 5,045 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (5,045 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 14.4% under 18 years, 12.5% between 18 and 34 years, 39.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 33.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.6% were men and 49.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

Uninsured

34.1%

Employer Coverage

14.4%

Medicaid

25.7%

Medicare

17.4%

Non-Group

3.36%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Custer County, CO declined by 36.2% from 7.84% to 5%.

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