Otero County, CO

County

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2024 Population

18,321

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

41.8

2.2% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

22.1%

6.39% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$54,037

1.57% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$168,900

5.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

7,581

4.23% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Otero 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.

97.7% of the residents in Otero County, CO are U.S. citizens.

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

In 2024, the median property value in Otero County, CO was $168,900, and the homeownership rate was 68.9%.

Most people in Otero County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Otero County, CO was 3 cars per household.

Otero County, CO borders Bent County, CO, Crowley County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, and Pueblo County, CO.

United States Colorado

Population & Diversity

Otero County, CO is home to a population of 18.3k people, from which 97.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.77% of Otero County, CO residents were born outside of the country (874 people).

In 2024, there were 3.53 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.6k people) in Otero County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.72k White (Hispanic) and 2.44k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.7%

2024 Citizenship

98.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.7% of Otero County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Otero County, CO was 98.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Otero County, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.6k ± 146
White (Hispanic)
2.72k ± 523
Other (Hispanic)
2.44k ± 478

42%

Hispanic Population

7.7k people

42% of the people in Otero County, CO are hispanic (7.7k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Otero 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

4.77%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

874 people

3.99%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

737 people

As of 2024, 4.77% of Otero County, CO residents (874 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 Otero County, CO was 3.99%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
340 ± 123
Gulf War (2001-)
301 ± 145
Gulf War (1990s)
117 ± 54

Otero County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.13 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Otero County, CO employs 7.58k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Otero County, CO were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,576 people), Educational Services (1,052 people), and Retail Trade (685 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($89,063), Transportation & Warehousing ($78,160), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($68,750).

Employment

Occupations

7.58k

2024 Value

± 614

−4.23%

1 Year decline

± 12%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Otero County, CO declined at a rate of −4.23%, from 7.92k employees to 7.58k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Otero County, CO, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (872 people), Management Occupations (834 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (688 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Otero 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

7.58k

2024 Value

± 614

−4.23%

1 Year decline

± 12%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Otero County, CO declined at a rate of −4.23%, from 7.92k employees to 7.58k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Otero County, CO, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,576 people), Educational Services (1,052 people), and Retail Trade (685 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Otero County, CO, though some of these residents may live in Otero County, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,867

Median earning men ± $6,331

$31,762

Median earning women ± $1,811

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($78,302), Information ($75,592), and Wholesale Trade ($63,125).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($50,192), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($34,320), and Public Administration ($34,254).

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

41
Other Services (except Public Administration)
26
Retail Trade
21
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

$49.9k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$25k
Manufacturing
$21.7k
Retail Trade

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 Otero 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.

Education

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

Most students graduating from Universities in Otero County, 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 Otero County, CO by number of degrees awarded are Otero College (387 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Otero County, 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 Otero County, 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 Otero County, CO was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 92 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Otero County, 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 Otero County, 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 Otero County, CO was $168,900 in 2024, which is 0.508 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $160,700 to $168,900, a 5.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Otero County, CO is 68.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Otero County, CO have an average commute time of 21.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Otero County, CO is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Otero County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.75%.

Housing

Property

$168,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,846

$5,229

Median Property Taxes

±$492

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 Otero County, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

68.9%

Homeownership

2024

71.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 68.9% of the housing units in Otero County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Otero 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.

$54,037

Median Household Income

± $5,856

7.58k

Number of Households

± 631

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.58k households in Otero County, CO declined from $54,037 from the previous year's value of $54,897.

The following chart displays the households in Otero 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Otero 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 (78.3%)
Carpooled (9.74%)
Worked At Home (6.12%)

In 2024, 78.3% of workers in Otero County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.74%) and those who worked at home (6.12%).

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

21.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Otero County, CO have a shorter commute time (21.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.08% of the workforce in Otero County, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Otero County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.75%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

22.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Otero County, CO (3.95k out of 17.9k 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 Females < 5 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Otero County, 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 27% of the children was living in poverty in Otero County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.5%.

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 158 in Otero County, CO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 138 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

93.4% of the population of Otero County, CO has health coverage, with 32.8% on employee plans, 33.4% on Medicaid, 14.5% on Medicare, 11.3% on non-group plans, and 1.37% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Otero County, CO see 1,430 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,430 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3050 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 227 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,430 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Otero County, CO

Primary care physicians in Otero County, CO see an average of 1,430 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,430 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.8% under 18 years, 18% between 18 and 34 years, 36.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.6%

Uninsured

32.8%

Employer Coverage

33.4%

Medicaid

14.5%

Medicare

11.3%

Non-Group

1.37%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Otero County, CO declined by 7.43% from 7.13% to 6.6%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 86.6 in Otero County, CO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Otero County, CO.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 31.6% in Otero County, CO.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Otero County, CO.