Demographics of Otero County, Colorado

Otero County, Colorado had 17,683 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −976 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Otero County, in four figures

17,683
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −5.2%
Change since July 2020: −976 people.; 41.8 ±1.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $54,037 ±$5,856
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Otero County, Colorado's population shrank 5.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Otero County, Colorado's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Otero County, Colorado's population shrank 5.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Otero County, Colorado's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	18,659	100.0	100.0
2021	18,517	99.2	100.2
2022	18,244	97.8	100.7
2023	18,117	97.1	101.6
2024	17,888	95.9	102.5
2025	17,683	94.8	103.1

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Population of Otero County, Colorado on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	18,659	−26	−26	0	−6
2021	18,517	−142	−120	+2	−35
2022	18,244	−273	−126	−2	−148
2023	18,117	−127	−54	+7	−81
2024	17,888	−229	−93	+20	−155
2025	17,683	−205	−93	+9	−119

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 41.8 ±1.4: for men 40.2 ±2.0 and for women 43.0 ±0.8. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Otero County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Colorado	United States
Under 5	1,028 ±28	5.6% ±0.2	5.3% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,204 ±239	17.5% ±1.3	15.7% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,528 ±211	8.3% ±1.2	9.1% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,337 ±359	23.7% ±2.0	30.3% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	4,330 ±340	23.6% ±1.9	23.9% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,894 ±340	21.3% ±1.9	15.6% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $54,037 ±$5,856, and income per person $28,645 ±$1,532, in 2024 dollars. The median is $95,470 ±$578 in Colorado and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Otero County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Colorado	United States
Under $25,000	1,622 ±301	21.4% ±3.9	11.2% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,908 ±344	25.2% ±4.5	13.6% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,300 ±267	17.1% ±3.5	14.6% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	972 ±232	12.8% ±3.0	12.8% ±0.2	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,256 ±221	16.6% ±2.9	19.2% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	337 ±101	4.4% ±1.3	11.7% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	189 ±70	2.5% ±0.9	17.0% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Otero County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Colorado	United States
All ages	3,946 ±628	22.1% ±3.5	9.4% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,484 ±293	35.3% ±6.0	11.1% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	1,537 ±352	18.0% ±4.0	9.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	925 ±251	18.0% ±4.7	8.7% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Otero County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Otero County	Colorado	United States
Housing units	8,746 ±23	2,589,053 ±653	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	86.7% ±2.7	91.7% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	13.3% ±2.7	8.3% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	68.9% ±3.3	66.2% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	31.1% ±3.6	33.8% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$168,900 ±$10,846	$539,400 ±$2,069	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$839 ±$89	$1,761 ±$7	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1958 ±3	1988 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Otero County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Colorado	United States
Hispanic or Latino	7,695 ±0	42.0% ±<0.1	22.5% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	9,597 ±146	52.4% ±0.8	64.8% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	197 ±59	1.1% ±0.3	3.8% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	137 ±51	0.7% ±0.3	3.2% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	23 to 95	0.1% to 0.5%	0.4% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 21	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	38 to 154	0.2% to 0.8%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	540 ±169	2.9% ±0.9	4.6% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Otero County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Colorado	United States
Born in the state	12,548 ±496	68.5% ±2.7	41.2% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	4,816 ±415	26.3% ±2.3	47.2% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	31 to 135	0.2% to 0.7%	1.7% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	874 ±298	4.8% ±1.6	9.8% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	460 ±163	2.5% ±0.9	4.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	179 to 649	1.0% to 3.5%	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Otero County among the counties of Colorado

28th of 64 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Colorado page.

Counties of Colorado near Otero County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Routt County	25,329	+2.0%
Teller County	24,756	< +0.1%
Chaffee County	20,831	+6.9%
Logan County	20,654	−2.7%
Park County	18,314	+5.1%
Otero County	17,683	−5.2%
Gunnison County	17,439	+2.9%
Alamosa County	16,688	+1.9%
Pitkin County	16,625	−4.3%
Grand County	16,496	+4.7%
Las Animas County	14,391	−0.7%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026