Rio Blanco County, CO

County

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2024 Population

6,544

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

37.8

3.32% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

8.5%

5.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$65,473

9.84% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$274,400

12.7% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,088

6.93% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Rio Blanco 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.

96.6% of the residents in Rio Blanco County, CO are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Rio Blanco County, CO are Colorado Northwestern Community College (210 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Rio Blanco County, CO was $274,400, and the homeownership rate was 74.3%.

Most people in Rio Blanco County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Rio Blanco County, CO was 2 cars per household.

Rio Blanco County, CO borders Garfield County, CO, Moffat County, CO, Routt County, CO, and Uintah County, UT.

United States Colorado

Population & Diversity

Rio Blanco County, CO is home to a population of 6.54k people, from which 96.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.81% of Rio Blanco County, CO residents were born outside of the country (315 people).

In 2024, there were 18.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.37k people) in Rio Blanco County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 284 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 258 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.6%

2024 Citizenship

97.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.6% of Rio Blanco County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Rio Blanco County, CO was 97.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Rio Blanco County, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.37k ± 88
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
284 ± 185
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
258 ± 53

10.8%

Hispanic Population

709 people

10.8% of the people in Rio Blanco County, CO are hispanic (709 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Rio Blanco 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

4.81%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

315 people

5.05%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

329 people

As of 2024, 4.81% of Rio Blanco County, CO residents (315 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 Rio Blanco County, CO was 5.05%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
205 ± 80
Gulf War (2001-)
148 ± 78
Gulf War (1990s)
78 ± 41

Rio Blanco County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.39 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Rio Blanco County, CO employs 3.09k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Rio Blanco County, CO were Educational Services (389 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (321 people), and Public Administration (316 people), and the highest paying industries were Manufacturing ($87,750), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($71,938), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($70,844).

Employment

Occupations

3.09k

2024 Value

± 383

6.93%

1 Year growth

± 16.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rio Blanco County, CO grew at a rate of 6.93%, from 2.89k employees to 3.09k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rio Blanco County, CO, are Management Occupations (380 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (336 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (332 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Rio Blanco 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

3.09k

2024 Value

± 383

6.93%

1 Year growth

± 16.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rio Blanco County, CO grew at a rate of 6.93%, from 2.89k employees to 3.09k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rio Blanco County, CO, are Educational Services (389 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (321 people), and Public Administration (316 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Rio Blanco County, CO, though some of these residents may live in Rio Blanco County, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,989

Median earning men ± $4,854

$32,924

Median earning women ± $6,768

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($71,000), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($64,356), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($62,321).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($60,833), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,417), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,215).

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

21
Other Services (except Public Administration)
18
Construction
16
Accommodation and Food 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

$64.2k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$26k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$14.1k
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 Rio Blanco 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 Rio Blanco County, CO awarded 210 degrees. The student population of Rio Blanco County, CO in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 553 male students and 703 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Rio Blanco County, CO are White (141 and 68.4%), Hispanic or Latino (44 and 21.4%), Two or More Races (10 and 4.85%), and Asian (5 and 2.43%).

The largest universities in Rio Blanco County, CO by number of degrees awarded are Colorado Northwestern Community College (210 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Rio Blanco County, CO are General Natural Resources & Conservation (28 and 13.3%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (27 and 12.9%), and Registered Nursing (25 and 11.9%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,256 students enrolled in Rio Blanco County, CO, 44% men and 56% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 904 records, of which 57% were women and 43% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
27 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
25 degrees awarded
Dental Hygiene
22 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Rio Blanco County, CO was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 27 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Colorado Northwestern Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

210 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Colorado Northwestern Community College with 210 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 88 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Rio Blanco County, CO, which is 0.721 times less than the 122 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 141 degrees mean that there were 3.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 44 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 ($513) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,460) 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 Rio Blanco County, CO was $274,400 in 2024, which is 0.825 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $243,400 to $274,400, a 12.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Rio Blanco County, CO is 74.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Rio Blanco County, CO have an average commute time of 17.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Rio Blanco County, CO is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Rio Blanco County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 4.45%.

Housing

Property

$274,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$44,715

$2,084

Median Property Taxes

±$276

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

Rent vs Own

74.3%

Homeownership

2024

73%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 74.3% of the housing units in Rio Blanco County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 75.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Rio Blanco 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.

$65,473

Median Household Income

± $8,193

2.81k

Number of Households

± 338

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.81k households in Rio Blanco County, CO declined from $65,473 from the previous year's value of $72,620.

The following chart displays the households in Rio Blanco 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Rio Blanco 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 (75.4%)
Worked At Home (8.98%)
Carpooled (7.32%)

In 2024, 75.4% of workers in Rio Blanco County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.98%) and those who carpooled to work (7.32%).

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

17.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rio Blanco County, CO have a shorter commute time (17.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.24% of the workforce in Rio Blanco County, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Rio Blanco County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 4.45%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rio Blanco County, CO (534 out of 6.28k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females 65 - 74.

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

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, 11.4% of the children was living in poverty in Rio Blanco County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.5%.

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 96.7 in Rio Blanco County, CO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 180 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.5% of the population of Rio Blanco County, CO has health coverage, with 46.4% on employee plans, 15.2% on Medicaid, 14.6% on Medicare, 13.1% on non-group plans, and 1.28% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Rio Blanco County, CO see 810 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (810 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1314 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 411 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51% were men and 49% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

810 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Rio Blanco County, CO

Primary care physicians in Rio Blanco County, CO see an average of 810 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (810 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.1% under 18 years, 20.4% between 18 and 34 years, 37.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 17% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51% were men and 49% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.51%

Uninsured

46.4%

Employer Coverage

15.2%

Medicaid

14.6%

Medicare

13.1%

Non-Group

1.28%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Rio Blanco County, CO declined by 1.35% from 9.64% to 9.51%.

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