Official Federal Data
Garfield County, Colorado
Rifle, CO · Population 62,479
10 Sources
Updated September 10, 2026
$91,131 up from the baseline named below
Median Income (nominal) vs 2019
$80,734 national
3.2% down from the baseline named below
Unemployment vs 2024
4.3% national
$5B up from the baseline named below
GDP (nominal) real change vs 2023
33.6% up from the baseline named below
Bachelor's+ vs 2019
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household (nominal)
$91,131 up from 2019 vs 2019
Per Capita
$44,160 up from 2019 vs 2019
Mean Household
$113,996 up from 2019 vs 2019
Median Household (cost-of-living adjusted)
$88,391 state RPP 103.1
Poverty Rate
8.2% down from 2019 vs 2019
Median Income Comparison
Garfield County$91,131
Colorado$95,470
National$80,734
Garfield County is $4,339 (4.5%) below the Colorado median, despite sitting above the national median.
Cost-of-living adjustment uses the BEA all-items regional price parity for Colorado, 103.1 against a national average of 100 (2024). BEA publishes regional price parity at state and metropolitan level only; there is no county figure, so the state index stands in for Garfield County and the adjusted median is an approximation. Per capita and mean household income above are nominal and carry no adjustment.
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B01001, B02001, B03003
CohortsShare of total population
Under 18 · 24.6%
18-34 · 21.8%
35-54 · 26.8%
55-64 · 12.1%
65+ · 14.8%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
89.4%
High School+
National: 89.6%
down from national 0.2 pts vs national
33.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
down from national 2.1 pts vs national
12.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
down from national 1.8 pts vs national
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
62,479
Population
35,355
Labor Force
Employed
34,162
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.2% down from 2024 0.3 pts vs 2024
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11%
Labor Force and Employed are ACS 5-Year survey estimates; the Unemployment Rate above comes from BLS LAUS, a separate monthly survey with its own methodology. The two won't reconcile by subtracting one from the other.
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
- Below the state median: Median household income runs $4,339 (4.5%) under the Colorado median, so statewide income averages overstate local household buying power.
- Cost of living erodes income: Local prices run 3.1% above the national average, so the nominal median of $91,131 is worth $88,391 at national average prices. BEA publishes price parity at state level, not county level.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
$5B up from 2023 +1.4% vs 2023
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
+1.4% real (inflation-adjusted)
·
+2.8% nominal
· 2023 to 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · level and nominal change from CAGDP2 (current dollars); real change from CAGDP9 (chained 2017 dollars), both all-industry total. The two series agree in 2017, the chain reference year, and diverge by the amount of price change since.
103.1
Cost of Living · state · Above Avg
Key Takeaways
- Largest private-sector industry: Construction employs 3,859 workers (20.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $74,444. Every industry figure on this page is private sector; government employs a further 5,649 and is counted separately.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $5B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction averages $111,794 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $34,349, a 3.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
13 sub-sectors at LQ ≥ 1.5
Largest grouping among them is Construction Cluster at 48.7% of the employment across all of them, which signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
6,784
Employment in the sub-sectors listed
21.68x
Peak sub-sector LQ
Sub-Sector Detail, Highest 10 By LQ
Oil and Gas Extraction
21.68x 423
Support Activities for Mining
9.71x 432
Specialty Trade Contractors
3.42x 2,979
Waste Management and Remediation Services
2.41x 209
Accommodation
2.38x 762
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
2.17x 693
Utilities
2.16x 217
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
2.05x 405
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
1.78x 607
Private Households
1.66x 57
+ 3 more sub-sectors at LQ ≥ 1.5, holding a further 1,148 jobs not counted in the total above. See the spider chart for the broader picture.
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, screened against local siting constraints. Source: BLS QCEW
0.18x
Food Manufacturing
52 employed
Freight-dependent sector, nearest rail-truck intermodal terminal 156 miles away.
Screened on industrial power cost, rail-truck intermodal access, land base.
Industrial electricity in Colorado costs 9.07¢/kWh against 8.62¢/kWh nationally (2025).
Colorado has 2 rail-truck intermodal terminals, the nearest 156 miles from the county.
Land area 2947 sq mi, larger than 94% of US counties.
Sources: EIA, BTS NTAD, Census Gazetteer.
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Oil and Gas Extraction concentrates at 21.68x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 13 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, and no single source of demand accounts for more than 48.7% of the employment across them, the largest being construction and real estate cycle. Demand reaches this base from more than one market rather than from a single one.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064, B25004
$527,800 up from the baseline named below
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,637 up from the baseline named below
Rent/Mo vs 2019
69.6% up from the baseline named below
Owner-Occ vs 2019
6.2% down from the baseline named below
Vacancy vs 2019
1.7% available
for rent or sale
for rent or sale
5.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Stretched
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
HUD publishes these by FMR area, which may cover more than one county · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026 · Affordability threshold and renter cost burden from Census ACS B25119, B25070
Studio
$1,215/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,223/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,605/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,232/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,391/mo
30% of monthly median renter household income (~$1,717/mo, from a renter median of $68,663) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Measured: 44.2% of renter households already pay 30% or more of income on rent, and 15.4% pay 50% or more.
Key Takeaways
- Stretched market: Home value to income ratio of 5.8x is well above the ~4.1x national average; attainable workforce housing may be a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom sizes sit below what a household on the median renter income of $68,663 can pay without cost burden (~$1,717/mo), and 44.2% of renter households are measured as cost-burdened.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23001, B23025, B08303, B08301
37,918 up from the baseline named below
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
86.4%
of prime-age population
Prime-age rate numerator is civilian employed (B23001); the denominator is total population aged 25-54 (B01001), which also includes armed forces.
of population age 16 and over (48,740)
up from 2019 vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
33.6% up from 2019 vs 2019
HS Diploma+
89.4% up from 2019 vs 2019
Institutions in Garfield County
1 institution in Garfield County reporting credentials to College Scorecard
Credentials awarded in Garfield County
1,329/yr
1,329/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
19.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Same cohort is 12.1% of total population, the basis used in the Demographics cohort chart.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
34.3%
Service
21.3%
Sales & Office
20%
Construction / Maint.
13.4%
Production / Transport
11%
Bars are drawn on a 0% to 40% axis, so bar length is proportional to actual share. Labels give each group's share of 34,162 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Healthy participation: 72.6% labor force participation reflects a steady, available local workforce.
- Talent pipeline: 1 institution in Garfield County awards 1,329 credentials a year. Employers drawing from a wider labor shed should read this alongside institutions outside the county, which this page does not aggregate.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
Sample output. Pulse AI analysis draws on 10 federal data sources.
Sample AI Insight
Garfield County shows strong potential for oil and gas extraction attraction, with a 21.68x concentration and 423 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The concentrated base spans oil and gas extraction, support activities for mining, and specialty trade contractors, and no single source of demand accounts for more than 48.7% of the employment across them, the largest being construction and real estate cycle. Supply-chain recruitment has more than one demand base to work from.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
BEA Regional Price Parity2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
American Community Survey figures on this page are 2020-2024 five-year averages rather than single-year counts. A five-year estimate pools 60 months of survey responses, so each value describes the period as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Garfield County, Colorado, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Garfield County, Colorado?
62,479 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Garfield County, Colorado?
$91,131 in nominal dollars (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates). Adjusted for local prices using the BEA all-items regional price parity for Colorado (103.1 against a national average of 100), that is $88,391 at national average prices. BEA publishes regional price parity at state level; there is no county-level figure.
What is the unemployment rate in Garfield County, Colorado?
3.2% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Garfield County, Colorado?
$5B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP2).
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