San Miguel County, CO

County

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2024 Population

7,968

US Senator

Michael Bennet

Democratic Party

US Senator

John Hickenlooper

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

43.3

1.41% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.26%

10% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$79,024

1.36% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$720,700

17.6% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,178

7.43% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in San Miguel 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.

96.9% of the residents in San Miguel County, CO are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in San Miguel County, CO was $720,700, and the homeownership rate was 63%.

Most people in San Miguel County, CO drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.7 minutes. The average car ownership in San Miguel County, CO was 1 car per household.

San Miguel County, CO borders Dolores County, CO, Montrose County, CO, Ouray County, CO, San Juan County, CO, and San Juan County, UT.

About the photo: View of the mountains from Telluride, CO

Photo by John Weiss

United States Colorado

Population & Diversity

San Miguel County, CO is home to a population of 7.97k people, from which 96.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.17% of San Miguel County, CO residents were born outside of the country (412 people).

In 2024, there were 9.54 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.69k people) in San Miguel County, CO than any other race or ethnicity. There were 701 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 177 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.9%

2024 Citizenship

95.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.9% of San Miguel County, CO residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in San Miguel County, CO was 95.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in San Miguel County, CO

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.69k ± 26
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
701 ± 216
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
177 ± 68

11.7%

Hispanic Population

931 people

11.7% of the people in San Miguel County, CO are hispanic (931 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in San Miguel 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

5.17%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

412 people

7.49%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

601 people

As of 2024, 5.17% of San Miguel County, CO residents (412 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 San Miguel County, CO was 7.49%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
140 ± 70
Gulf War (1990s)
93 ± 78
Gulf War (2001-)
41 ± 73

San Miguel County, CO has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.51 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of San Miguel County, CO employs 5.18k people. In 2024, the largest industries in San Miguel County, CO were Retail Trade (736 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (601 people), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation (597 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($128,750), Transportation & Warehousing ($78,750), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($77,831).

Employment

Occupations

5.18k

2024 Value

± 632

7.43%

1 Year growth

± 14.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in San Miguel County, CO grew at a rate of 7.43%, from 4.82k employees to 5.18k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in San Miguel County, CO, are Sales & Related Occupations (927 people), Management Occupations (844 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (494 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of San Miguel 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

5.18k

2024 Value

± 632

7.43%

1 Year growth

± 14.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in San Miguel County, CO grew at a rate of 7.43%, from 4.82k employees to 5.18k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in San Miguel County, CO, are Retail Trade (736 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (601 people), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation (597 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of San Miguel County, CO, though some of these residents may live in San Miguel County, CO and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,057

Median earning men ± $9,535

$60,147

Median earning women ± $11,096

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($78,493), Public Administration ($72,115), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($72,019).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($210,176), Manufacturing ($80,766), and Retail Trade ($62,600).

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

84
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
80
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
65
Construction

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

$74.8k
Accommodation and Food Services
$32.3k
Construction
$28.9k
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

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 San Miguel 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 San Miguel County, CO was $720,700 in 2024, which is 2.17 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $613,100 to $720,700, a 17.6% increase. The homeownership rate in San Miguel County, CO is 63%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in San Miguel County, CO have an average commute time of 16.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in San Miguel County, CO is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

In 2025, 24.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in San Miguel County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 5.12%.

Housing

Property

$720,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$194,671

$2,899

Median Property Taxes

±$398

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 San Miguel County, CO the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

63%

Homeownership

2024

69%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63% of the housing units in San Miguel County, CO were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 65.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in San Miguel 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.

$79,024

Median Household Income

± $10,732

4.6k

Number of Households

± 597

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.6k households in San Miguel County, CO declined from $79,024 from the previous year's value of $80,117.

The following chart displays the households in San Miguel 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 $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for San Miguel 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 (37.8%)
Walked (25.9%)
Worked At Home (15.8%)

In 2024, 37.8% of workers in San Miguel County, CO drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (25.9%) and those who worked at home (15.8%).

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

16.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in San Miguel County, CO have a shorter commute time (16.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.971% of the workforce in San Miguel County, CO have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in San Miguel County, CO distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in San Miguel County, CO have 1 car.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 24.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in San Miguel County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 5.12%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

9.26% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in San Miguel County, CO (736 out of 7.95k 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 Males 16 - 17, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in San Miguel County, CO is Two Or More, followed by White 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, 8.3% of the children was living in poverty in San Miguel County, CO. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 8.8%.

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 114 in San Miguel County, CO. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 1.43 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

84.8% of the population of San Miguel County, CO has health coverage, with 45.6% on employee plans, 7.14% on Medicaid, 15.2% on Medicare, 15.4% on non-group plans, and 1.45% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in San Miguel County, CO see 1,153 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,153 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1601 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 303 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 58.9% were men and 41.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,153 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in San Miguel County, CO

Primary care physicians in San Miguel County, CO see an average of 1,153 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,153 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 17.9% under 18 years, 19.4% between 18 and 34 years, 44.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 58.9% were men and 41.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

15.2%

Uninsured

45.6%

Employer Coverage

7.14%

Medicaid

15.2%

Medicare

15.4%

Non-Group

1.45%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in San Miguel County, CO grew by 41.3% from 10.8% to 15.2%.

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