Bent County, Colorado

County in CO, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

5,549

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

40.6

years ∙ half population younger than 40.6, half older

Diversity Index

59.8%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.2%

foreign-born population

97.8%Native

2.2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Bent County is a county in Colorado, United States.

Location

County in CO, US

Co-ordinates

DEC37.931891° N, 103.077584° W

DMS37° 55′ 54.81″ N, 103° 04′ 39.30″ W

Population Density & area

3.67/sq mi (1.42/km²)

Total Area

1,541 sq mi (3,991 km²)

Land Area

1,513 sq mi (3,918 km²) · 98.2%

Water Area

28 sq mi (73 km²) · 1.8%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

62.7% male

Male 62.7%

Female 37.3%

males per 100 females

Bent County 168.2

Colorado 102.6

United States 98

Nativity

2.2%

foreign-born population

97.8%Native

2.2% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Bent County 2.2%

Colorado 9.8%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

40.6

years ∙ half population younger than 40.6, half older

Bent County

40.6

Colorado

37.7

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

53.6

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Bent County 53.6

Colorado 57.7

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	16%	21%	22%
Working age (18-64)	65.1%	63.4%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	18.9%	15.6%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	53.6	57.7	64.4
Child dependency ratio	24.6	33.1	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	29	24.6	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

53.7%

Black

3.2%

Asian

0.9%

Hispanic

32.5%

Other

9.7%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

59.8%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Bent County 59.8%

Colorado 52.5%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Bent County population

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Hispanic or Latino	32.5%	22.5%	19.3%
Mexican	21.3%	15.8%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.2%	0.7%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.3%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	11%	5.7%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	67.5%	77.5%	80.7%
One race	59.1%	72.9%	76.4%
White	53.7%	64.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	3.2%	3.8%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1%	0.4%	0.5%
Asian	0.9%	3.2%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.2%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.1%	0.5%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	8.4%	4.6%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

58.5% family

Family 58.5%

Non family 41.5%

% family households

Bent County 58.5%

Colorado 61.7%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.26

persons per household

Bent County

2.26

Colorado

2.42

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Bent County population

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Total households	1,875	2,374,218	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.26	2.42	2.53
Family households	1,097	1,465,097	82,990,528
Average family size	2.95	3.01	3.14
Married couple family	795	1,147,437	60,637,388
Other families	302	317,660	22,353,140
Male householder	56	106,780	6,572,819
Female householder	246	210,880	15,780,321
Non-family households	778	909,121	46,236,968
One-person households	701	679,604	37,140,836
Male householder	319	330,797	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	112	88,830	5,225,110
Female householder	382	348,807	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	165	157,958	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	77	229,517	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,174

housing units

Bent County 2,174

Colorado 2,589,053

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

86.2% occupied

Occupied 86.2%

Vacant 13.8%

vacancy rate

Bent County 13.8%

Colorado 8.3%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

81.7%

Single family houses

81.7%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

8.2%

Mobile homes

9.9%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.2%

Median Year Built

1959

Half of houses were built before 1959, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

28.3%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

32.4%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

32.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

6.6%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.9	5.7	5.5
1–3 rooms	6.4%	17.3%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	53.5%	43.7%	51.6%
7+ rooms	40.1%	39.1%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.1%	2.7%	2.9%
1 bedroom	6.6%	11.7%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	30.3%	24.1%	25%
3 bedrooms	40.5%	32.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	21.5%	29.2%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1959	1988	1981
Total housing units	2,174	2,589,053	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

65.2% owners

Renter-occupied 34.8%

Owner-occupied 65.2%

homeownership rate

Bent County 65.2%

Colorado 66.2%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.19

Owner-occupied

2.39

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Bent County 2.19

Colorado 2.56

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Total occupied units	1,875	2,374,218	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	27.5%	30.5%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	34.1%	41%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	12%	14.8%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	26.4%	13.8%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97%	97.6%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	2.3%	1.6%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.7%	0.8%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	3.1%	5.2%	8.4%
1 vehicle	34.1%	30.7%	33.1%
2 vehicles	39.5%	38.8%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	23.3%	25.4%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	84.8%	71.3%	51.4%
Electricity	12.5%	25.6%	41.3%
Solar	0.2%	0.5%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	1.8%	2%	2%
No fuel used	0.7%	0.5%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	3.3%	0.7%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.2%	0.7%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$146,900

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Bent County

$146,900

Colorado

$539,400

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

40.5%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

40.5%

Owners without a mortgage

18.2%

Renters

58.9%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Property value
Median Value	$146,900	$539,400	$332,700
Under $100,000	37.1%	4.8%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	31.9%	3.6%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	16.3%	6.8%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	9.2%	30%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	1.6%	43.6%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	3.8%	11.1%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	45.1%	69.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	54.9%	30.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,161	$2,326	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$512	$663	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,162	$1,761	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

15.7%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Bent County 15.7%

Colorado 45.7%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

17.1%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Bent County 17.1%

Colorado 7.1%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

877

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

8.6%

K–12

71.4%

College / Undergraduate

10.3%

Graduate / Professional

9.8%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

3.5%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Bent County

3.5%

Colorado

38%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	877	1,369,681	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	8.6%	5.9%	5.7%
K–12	71.4%	66.5%	67.6%
Kindergarten	7.6%	4.5%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	23.1%	19.4%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	20.3%	20.9%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	20.3%	21.7%	21.7%
College or graduate school	20.1%	27.6%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	10.3%	21%	21%
Graduate, professional school	9.8%	6.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	3.5%	38%	40.9%
School type
Public school	81.1%	86%	82%
Private school	18.9%	14%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

4,289

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

5.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

11.8%

HS graduate

40.5%

Some college no degree

17.3%

Associates degree

9.5%

Bachelors degree

10.4%

Graduate or professional degree

5.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

65.9% · 34.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

68% · 32%

HS graduate

82.4% · 17.6%

Some college no degree

52.4% · 47.6%

Associates degree

34.2% · 65.8%

Bachelors degree

59.7% · 40.3%

Graduate or professional degree

24.2% · 75.8%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Population (25+)	4,289	4,095,727	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	5.3%	3.1%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	11.8%	4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	40.5%	19.7%	26%
Some college, no degree	17.3%	19.2%	19.1%
Associate's degree	9.5%	8.3%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.7%	45.7%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	10.4%	28.1%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	5.3%	17.6%	14.1%
High School or higher	82.9%	92.9%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$35,049

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$33,125

HS graduate

$32,926

Some college or associates

$34,900

Bachelors degree

$36,188

Graduate or professional degree

$66,750

Poverty Rate

10.3%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

43.4%

HS graduate

22.3%

Some college or associates

28.2%

Bachelors degree or higher

10.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Bent County	Colorado	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$35,049	$60,455	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$33,125	$37,820	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$32,926	$45,140	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$34,900	$50,210	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$36,188	$73,999	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$66,750	$90,992	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	43.4%	19.9%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	22.3%	11.5%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	28.2%	8.8%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.3%	3.9%	4.5%

Insights for Bent County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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