County profile

Mesa County

Colorado · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
158,601
Median household income
$73,658
People below poverty
10.7%
Median home value
$378,600

Income

The median income of households in Mesa County, Colorado was $73,658. An estimated 4.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 8.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.9
$10,000 to $14,999 3.5
$15,000 to $24,999 6.7
$25,000 to $34,999 7.8
$35,000 to $49,999 10.5
$50,000 to $74,999 17.5
$75,000 to $99,999 14.2
$100,000 to $149,999 17.7
$150,000 to $199,999 8.6
$200,000 or more 8.6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 64522
Female 52444

An estimated 72.4% of households received earnings. An estimated 36.5% of households received Social Security and an estimated 26.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,658. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 72.4
Social Security 36.5
Retirement income 26.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.1
Cash public assistance income 2.4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 10.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 11.1% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 11% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.5% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 10.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 11.1
People 65 years old and over below poverty 11
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.5

In 2020-2024, 11.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 38.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 40.5% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 31.1% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024, 90.1% had health insurance coverage and 9.9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 61.2% and public coverage was 43.2%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 7.2%.


In 2020-2024, Mesa County, Colorado had a total population of 158,601 - 80,150 (50.5%) females and 78,451 (49.5%) males. The median age was 41.3 years. An estimated 20.4% of the population was under 18 years, 31.5% was 19 to 44 years, 24.2% was 45 to 64 years, and 21.1 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 3901 4017
5 to 9 4457 4702
10 to 14 4869 4452
15 to 19 5517 5002
20 to 24 4698 4412
25 to 29 5006 4827
30 to 34 5185 5046
35 to 39 4907 5152
40 to 44 5671 5070
45 to 49 4653 4414
50 to 54 4301 4389
55 to 59 4046 5140
60 to 64 5739 5616
65 to 69 5182 5713
70 to 74 4371 4845
75 to 79 2697 3244
80 to 84 1725 1986
85 and over 1526 2123

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 82.4% were White; 0.6% were Black or African American; 9.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.9% were Asian; 0.3% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 12% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 15.5% of the people in Mesa County, Colorado were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 78.4% of the people in Mesa County, Colorado were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 65,830 households in Mesa County, Colorado. The average household size was 2.34 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.1% of the households in Mesa County, Colorado while cohabiting couple households made up 6.1% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.6% of all households, while 20.3% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 30.7% of all households.

In Mesa County, Colorado, 25.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 37% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.1
Cohabiting Couples 6.1
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.3
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 49.3% of males and 49.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 33.3 25.3
Now married, except separated 49.3 49.2
Separated 1 1.1
Widowed 3.1 9.1
Divorced 13.3 15.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Mesa County, Colorado, 2,887 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 35.9% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 95.9% of the people living in Mesa County, Colorado were U.S. natives. 49.9% of the Mesa County, Colorado population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 4.1% of Mesa County, Colorado residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 45.5% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 82.1 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Mesa County, Colorado come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Mesa County, Colorado.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 52.6
Asia 18.3
Europe 15.5
Africa 3.1
Northern America 7.8
Oceania 2.6

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024, 6.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 5.1% of people at least five years old; 1.7% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 5.1
Other Indo-European languages 1
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.5
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 84.7 % of the people at least one year old living in Mesa County, Colorado were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 84.7
Different house, same county 9
Different county, same state 3
Different state 3
Abroad 0.3

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 32.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Mesa County, Colorado was 36,150 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 1,997 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 24,415. College or graduate school enrollment was 9,738.

Educational Attainment of People in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.1
High school diploma or equivalency 27.8
Some college, no degree 23.9
Associate's degree 8.8
Bachelor's degree 21.7
Graduate or professional degree 10.7

Disability

In Mesa County, Colorado, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 15.3 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 3.2% of people under 18 years old, to 12.7% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 34.7% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Mesa County, Colorado, 57.6 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 39.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 77.4% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 14.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 58,125 77.4
Federal, state, or local government workers 10,949 14.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 5,784 7.7

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Mesa County, Colorado worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.1
Construction 9.8
Manufacturing 6.1
Wholesale trade 1.9
Retail trade 11.8
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.1
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 25.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.4
Other Services, except public administration 4.5
Public administration 4.5

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 28,760 38.3
Service occupations 12,408 16.5
Sales and office occupations 16,297 21.7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 8,804 11.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 8,793 11.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 72% of Mesa County, Colorado workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 18.9 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 72
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.7
Walked 2.3
Other means 2.9
Worked from home 13.7

In 2020-2024, Mesa County, Colorado had a total of 69,969 housing units. Of these housing units, 75.8% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 16.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 7.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 75.8
Apartments in multi-unit structures 16.2
Mobile homes 7.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

11.4% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 7.6% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Mesa County, Colorado was 5.5 rooms, and of these housing units 70.1% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Mesa County, Colorado had 65,830 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 4,139 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 72.5% while renters occupied 27.5%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.44 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.09.

4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 5.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6% and another 27.3% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Mesa County, Colorado:

House Heating Fuel Used in Mesa County, Colorado in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 77.8
Electricity 18.9
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 3.1
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Mesa County, Colorado was $378,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 65.8 % had a mortgage. 34.2% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,648 and for owners without a mortgage it was $453.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Mesa County, Colorado was $1,182. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.