La Junta, CO

Census Place

Add Comparison

2024 Population

7,140

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

38.2

3.54% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

27.4%

5.47% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$52,315

3.57% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$194,800

7.8% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

2,785

14.3% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in La Junta, 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.

98.7% of the residents in La Junta, CO are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in La Junta, CO are Otero College (387 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in La Junta, CO was $194,800, and the homeownership rate was 67%.

Most people in La Junta, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.3 minutes. The average car ownership in La Junta, CO was 3 cars per household.

United States Colorado Otero County, CO Southeast Colorado PUMA, CO

Population & Diversity

La Junta, CO is home to a population of 7.14k people, from which 98.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.66% of La Junta, CO residents were born outside of the country (261 people).

In 2024, there were 3.43 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.75k people) in La Junta, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.09k Other (Hispanic) and 1.02k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of La Junta, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in La Junta, CO was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in La Junta, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.75k ± 372
Other (Hispanic)
1.09k ± 437
White (Hispanic)
1.02k ± 362

42.7%

Hispanic Population

3.05k people

42.7% of the people in La Junta, CO are hispanic (3.05k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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

3.66%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

261 people

2.94%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

212 people

As of 2024, 3.66% of La Junta, CO residents (261 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 La Junta, CO was 2.94%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
195 ± 134
Vietnam
150 ± 103
Gulf War (1990s)
37 ± 33

La Junta, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.3 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in La Junta, CO.

Economy

The economy of La Junta, CO employs 2.79k people. In 2024, the largest industries in La Junta, CO were Health Care & Social Assistance (718 people), Educational Services (459 people), and Public Administration (321 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($83,214), Information ($75,658), and Construction ($73,347).

Employment

Occupations

2.79k

2024 Value

± 446

−14.3%

1 Year decline

± 25.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in La Junta, CO declined at a rate of −14.3%, from 3.25k employees to 2.79k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in La Junta, CO, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (444 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (384 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (221 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of La Junta, 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

2.79k

2024 Value

± 446

−14.3%

1 Year decline

± 25.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in La Junta, CO declined at a rate of −14.3%, from 3.25k employees to 2.79k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in La Junta, CO, are Health Care & Social Assistance (718 people), Educational Services (459 people), and Public Administration (321 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of La Junta, CO, though some of these residents may live in La Junta, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,332

Median earning men ± $15,193

$33,796

Median earning women ± $6,503

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($75,658), Construction ($73,347), and Manufacturing ($60,128).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,110), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($42,552), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($26,504).

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.

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 La Junta, 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.

Education

In 2023, universities in La Junta, CO awarded 387 degrees. The student population of La Junta, CO in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 424 male students and 548 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in La Junta, CO are White (208 and 57.6%), Hispanic or Latino (116 and 32.1%), Black or African American (18 and 4.99%), and Two or More Races (13 and 3.6%).

The largest universities in La Junta, CO by number of degrees awarded are Otero College (387 and 100%).

The most popular majors in La Junta, CO are Liberal Arts & Sciences (92 and 23.8%), Registered Nursing (52 and 13.4%), and General Agriculture Management (43 and 11.1%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 972 students enrolled in La Junta, CO, 43.6% men and 56.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 426 records, of which 55.2% were women and 44.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
92 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
52 degrees awarded
Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
24 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in La Junta, CO was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 92 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in La Junta, CO according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Otero College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

387 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Otero College with 387 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 159 men were awarded degrees from institutions in La Junta, CO, which is 0.697 times less than the 228 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 208 degrees mean that there were 1.79 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 116 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,941) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($477) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,900) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in La Junta, CO was $194,800 in 2024, which is 0.586 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $180,700 to $194,800, a 7.8% increase. The homeownership rate in La Junta, CO is 67%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in La Junta, CO have an average commute time of 22.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in La Junta, CO is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$194,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$39,798

$2,030

Median Property Taxes

±$355

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 La Junta, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

67%

Homeownership

2024

71.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 67% of the housing units in La Junta, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 65.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in La Junta, 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.

$52,315

Median Household Income

± $7,059

3.03k

Number of Households

± 450

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.03k households in La Junta, CO declined from $52,315 from the previous year's value of $54,253.

The following chart displays the households in La Junta, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for La Junta, 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 (78.7%)
Carpooled (11.2%)
Worked At Home (7.12%)

In 2024, 78.7% of workers in La Junta, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.2%) and those who worked at home (7.12%).

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

22.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in La Junta, CO have a shorter commute time (22.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.87% of the workforce in La Junta, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in La Junta, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in La Junta, CO have 3 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

27.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in La Junta, CO (1.87k out of 6.83k 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 < 5 and then Females < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in La Junta, CO is Hispanic, followed by White 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

95.1% of the population of La Junta, CO has health coverage, with 34.3% on employee plans, 38.2% on Medicaid, 12.7% on Medicare, 8.32% on non-group plans, and 1.47% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Colorado see 1,207 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,207 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1161 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 204 patients per year.

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

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.3% under 18 years, 19.9% between 18 and 34 years, 32.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.1% 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

4.9%

Uninsured

34.3%

Employer Coverage

38.2%

Medicaid

12.7%

Medicare

8.32%

Non-Group

1.47%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in La Junta, CO declined by 10.3% from 5.47% to 4.9%.

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

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