Rio Blanco County, Colorado: commercial real estate data.
Rio Blanco County, Colorado had an estimated 6,607 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 6,526, across 3,221 square miles. County output reached $689.6 m in 2024, 194 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 9 7(a) approvals worth $8.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Rio Blanco County
How many people live in Rio Blanco County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20246,544
- Households2,805
- Average household size2.33
- Median household income$65,473
- Median age37.8
- Median gross rent$919 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$274,400
- Home value to household income4.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over4,442
- Population under 181,589
- Share under 1824.3 percent
- Population 65 and over1,143
- Share 65 and over17.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 643,812
- Civilian labor force3,165
- Unemployment rate2.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over63.9 percent
- Rank by population among Colorado counties46th of 64
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2773rd of 3,222
Rio Blanco County is the 46th largest of 64 Colorado counties by population. A median home costs 4.2 times median household income, which is seriously unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.3 percent against 17.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rio Blanco County
Is Rio Blanco County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20246,607
- Census 2020 base population6,526
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.24 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202421
- Births, 202453
- Deaths, 202456
- Natural change, 2024-3
- Net domestic migration, 202417
- Net international migration, 20248
- Total net migration, 202425
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202477
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1403rd of 3,144
The county has grown 1.24 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Rio Blanco County
Where are people moving to Rio Blanco County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving222
- People arriving, from those returns428
- Tax returns filed by households leaving163
- Net household movement59
- Adjusted gross income arriving$15.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$2.9 m
- Average income of an arriving household$70,905
- Average income of a leaving household$78,810
- Largest single originGarfield County (25 households)
- Largest single destinationMesa County (23 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield County | 25 | 67 | $2.1 m |
| Mesa County | 24 | 42 | $1.2 m |
Households arriving report $7,905 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Garfield County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Rio Blanco County
What is the Rio Blanco County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$689.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$703.2 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-1.9 percent
- GDP change over five years58.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Colorado areas BEA publishes37th of 64
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2156th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$105,376
Output grew -1.9 percent in the latest year and 58.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Rio Blanco County
Employment by industry in Rio Blanco County
- Covered employment, annual average2,889
- Establishments reporting276
- Average annual pay$61,045
- Average weekly wage$1,174
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, employment506
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, average annual pay$105,363
- Retail trade, employment228
- Retail trade, average annual pay$31,502
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment111
- Administrative and support and waste management services, average annual pay$64,553
- Transportation and warehousing, employment46
- Transportation and warehousing, average annual pay$67,296
- Finance and insurance, employment44
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment43
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 506 | 25 | $105,363 |
| Retail trade | 228 | 28 | $31,502 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 111 | 7 | $64,553 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 46 | 12 | $67,296 |
| Finance and insurance | 44 | 7 | $73,935 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 43 | 13 | $53,299 |
| Utilities | 36 | 3 | $129,602 |
| Wholesale trade | 18 | 5 | $39,456 |
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction is the largest private sector at 506 jobs, 17.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Rio Blanco County
How many businesses are in Rio Blanco County?
- Establishments, all industries194
- Employment at those establishments2,237
- Annual payroll$151.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents29.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Rio Blanco County
Building permits in Rio Blanco County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20248
- Declared construction value permitted$2.5 m
- Single family units authorized8
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$311,198
- Units authorized per 1,000 households2.9
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Rio Blanco County
SBA loans in Rio Blanco County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded9
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$914,633
- Median 7(a) approval$262,500
- Largest single approval$3,099,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)120
- Jobs per approval13.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals7
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter7
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.1 m
- Average 504 approval$380,000
- Median 504 approval$168,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval3.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.9
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$9.4 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rio Blanco County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Rio Blanco County
Do SBA loans in Rio Blanco County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure7
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rio Blanco County
How large is Rio Blanco County?
- Land area3,221 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Colorado counties6th of 64
- Width, east to west106.6 mi
- Height, north to south39 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.06
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Rio Blanco County
Flood risk in Rio Blanco County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Rio Blanco County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 080288
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Rio Blanco County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Rio Blanco County (community 080288), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Rio Blanco County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Rio Blanco County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Rio Blanco County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20246,544
- Households2,805
- Average household size2.33
- Median household income$65,473
- Median age37.8
Common questions
Rio Blanco County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Rio Blanco County, Colorado?
The Census Bureau estimates 6,607 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 6,544, in 2,805 households, ranking 46th of 64 Colorado counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Rio Blanco County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.24 percent since the 2020 census base of 6,526, to 6,607 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 53 births against 56 deaths, with net migration of 25. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Rio Blanco County?
$65,473. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $274,400, which is 4.2 times income, and median gross rent is $919 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Rio Blanco County?
194 establishments, employing 2,237 people with an annual payroll of $151.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Rio Blanco County?
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction is the largest private sector at 506 jobs, 17.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,889 jobs at an average annual pay of $61,045, or $1,174 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Rio Blanco County?
9 7(a) approvals totaling $8.2 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $262,500, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.1 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Rio Blanco County?
8 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $2.5 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Rio Blanco County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Rio Blanco County come from?
The largest single origin is Garfield County, with 25 households. Arriving households report an average income of $70,905 against $78,810 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Rio Blanco County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Rio Blanco County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Rio Blanco County
Cities and places in Rio Blanco.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Rio Blanco County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker | town | 2,580 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Rangely | town | 2,466 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby