Rocky Ford, CO

City in Otero County, CO, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

3,815

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

Median Age

42.3

years ∙ half population younger than 42.3, half older

Diversity Index

46.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

4.7%

foreign-born population

95.3%Native

4.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Rocky Ford is a city within Otero County, Colorado, United States.

Location

City in Otero County, CO, US

Co-ordinates

DEC38.049884° N, 103.722102° W

DMS38° 02′ 59.58″ N, 103° 43′ 19.57″ W

Population Density & area

2,271/sq mi (877/km²)

Total Area

1.69 sq mi (4.39 km²)

Land Area

1.68 sq mi (4.35 km²) · 99.19%

Water Area

0.01 sq mi (0.04 km²) · 0.81%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

47.4% male

Male 47.4%

Female 52.6%

males per 100 females

Rocky Ford 90.3

Otero County 99.5

Colorado 102.6

Nativity

4.7%

foreign-born population

95.3%Native

4.7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Rocky Ford 4.7%

Otero County 4.8%

Colorado 9.8%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

42.3

years ∙ half population younger than 42.3, half older

Rocky Ford

42.3

Otero County

41.8

Colorado

37.7

Dependency ratio

63.9

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Rocky Ford 63.9

Otero County 79.7

Colorado 57.7

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22%	23.1%	21%
Working age (18-64)	61%	55.6%	63.4%
Senior (65+)	17%	21.3%	15.6%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	63.9	79.7	57.7
Child dependency ratio	36.1	41.5	33.1
Old-age dependency ratio	27.8	38.2	24.6

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

30.2%

Black

Asian

2.2%

Hispanic

66.8%

Other

0.8%

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

46.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Rocky Ford 46.2%

Otero County 54.8%

Colorado 52.5%

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 Rocky Ford population

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Hispanic or Latino	66.8%	42%	22.5%
Mexican	52.7%	34.3%	15.8%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.1%	0.7%
Cuban	0%	0%	0.3%
Other Hispanic / Latino	14.1%	7.6%	5.7%
Not Hispanic or Latino	33.2%	58%	77.5%
One race	32.9%	55.1%	72.9%
White	30.2%	52.4%	64.8%
Black or African American	0%	1.1%	3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.3%	0.4%
Asian	2.2%	0.7%	3.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.1%
Some Other Race	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	0.3%	2.9%	4.6%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

69% family

Family 69%

Non family 31%

% family households

Rocky Ford 69%

Otero County 63%

Colorado 61.7%

Average household size

2.71

persons per household

Rocky Ford

2.71

Otero County

2.35

Colorado

2.42

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Rocky Ford population

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Total households	1,369	7,584	2,374,218
Average houshold size	2.71	2.35	2.42
Family households	944	4,778	1,465,097
Average family size	3.11	2.98	3.01
Married couple family	416	3,242	1,147,437
Other families	528	1,536	317,660
Male householder	77	426	106,780
Female householder	451	1,110	210,880
Non-family households	425	2,806	909,121
One-person households	379	2,420	679,604
Male householder	171	1,258	330,797
Senior (65+) living alone	75	551	88,830
Female householder	208	1,162	348,807
Senior (65+) living alone	129	776	157,958
Other living arrangements	46	386	229,517

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,781

housing units

Rocky Ford 1,781

Otero County 8,746

Colorado 2,589,053

Occupancy status

76.9% occupied

Occupied 76.9%

Vacant 23.1%

vacancy rate

Rocky Ford 23.1%

Otero County 13.3%

Colorado 8.3%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

70.4%

Single family houses

70.4%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

19.1%

Mobile homes

10.6%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1955

Half of houses were built before 1955, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

35.2%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

36%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

18.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

9.8%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.4	5.8	5.7
1–3 rooms	10.2%	9.9%	17.3%
4–6 rooms	64.8%	55.3%	43.7%
7+ rooms	25.1%	34.8%	39.1%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	3.2%	1.7%	2.7%
1 bedroom	10%	8.8%	11.7%
2 bedrooms	25.9%	24.7%	24.1%
3 bedrooms	43.3%	37.5%	32.3%
4+ bedrooms	17.6%	27.3%	29.2%
At a glance
Median year built	1955	1959	1988
Total housing units	1,781	8,746	2,589,053

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

62.3% owners

Renter-occupied 37.7%

Owner-occupied 62.3%

homeownership rate

Rocky Ford 62.3%

Otero County 68.9%

Colorado 66.2%

Average household size

2.9

Owner-occupied

2.39

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Rocky Ford 2.9

Otero County 2.34

Colorado 2.56

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Total occupied units	1,369	7,584	2,374,218
Year moved in
2020 or later	24.1%	20.5%	30.5%
2010 to 2019	29%	37.1%	41%
2000 to 2009	18.8%	18.4%	14.8%
1999 or earlier	28.1%	24%	13.8%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	95.5%	96.3%	97.6%
1.01 to 1.50	3.7%	2.9%	1.6%
1.51 or more	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	11%	7.6%	5.2%
1 vehicle	28.5%	28.3%	30.7%
2 vehicles	16%	27.6%	38.8%
3 or more vehicles	44.6%	36.5%	25.4%
House heating fuel used
Gas	88.9%	83.2%	71.3%
Electricity	9.4%	13.3%	25.6%
Solar	0%	0.2%	0.5%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.1%	0.1%
All other fuels	1.7%	3.1%	2%
No fuel used	0%	0.1%	0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.4%	0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.1%	0.7%
No telephone service available	1.1%	2%	0.7%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$143,900

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Rocky Ford

$143,900

Otero County

$168,900

Colorado

$539,400

Housing Cost Burden

50.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

50.7%

Owners without a mortgage

14.3%

Renters

53.1%

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

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Property value
Median Value	$143,900	$168,900	$539,400
Under $100,000	30.9%	25.9%	4.8%
$100,000 - $200,000	46.9%	32.4%	3.6%
$200,000 - $300,000	4.8%	24.5%	6.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	12.8%	13.8%	30%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	2%	2.5%	43.6%
$1,000,000 and more	2.6%	0.9%	11.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	45%	50%	69.4%
Without a mortgage	55%	50%	30.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$956	$1,370	$2,326
Without a mortgage	$457	$459	$663
Gross rent
Median rent	$775	$839	$1,761

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

13%

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

Rocky Ford 13%

Otero County 18.2%

Colorado 45.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

10.8%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Rocky Ford 10.8%

Otero County 11.3%

Colorado 7.1%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

870

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

79.2%

College / Undergraduate

14.9%

Graduate / Professional

2.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

30.2%

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

Rocky Ford

30.2%

Otero County

38.5%

Colorado

38%

Enrollment & school type

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

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Total enrolled (age 3+)	870	4,284	1,369,681
Nursery / preschool	3%	6.9%	5.9%
K–12	79.2%	71.5%	66.5%
Kindergarten	3.1%	3.4%	4.5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	12.9%	16.5%	19.4%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	33%	27.2%	20.9%
High School: Grades 9–12	30.2%	24.4%	21.7%
College or graduate school	17.8%	21.6%	27.6%
College, undergraduate	14.9%	16.5%	21%
Graduate, professional school	2.9%	5.2%	6.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	30.2%	38.5%	38%
School type
Public school	85.3%	84.4%	86%
Private school	14.7%	15.6%	14%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,565

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

8.5%

HS graduate

33.5%

Some college no degree

25.9%

Associates degree

16.7%

Bachelors degree

Graduate or professional degree

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

81.7% · 18.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

39% · 61%

HS graduate

38.1% · 61.9%

Some college no degree

49.5% · 50.5%

Associates degree

53.8% · 46.2%

Bachelors degree

39% · 61%

Graduate or professional degree

77.5% · 22.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Population (25+)	2,565	12,561	4,095,727
Less than 9th grade	2.3%	3.4%	3.1%
9th–12th, no diploma	8.5%	7.9%	4%
High school diploma or GED	33.5%	29.5%	19.7%
Some college, no degree	25.9%	24.9%	19.2%
Associate's degree	16.7%	16.1%	8.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13%	18.2%	45.7%
Bachelor's degree	9%	11.2%	28.1%
Graduate or professional	4%	7%	17.6%
High School or higher	89.2%	88.7%	92.9%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$32,144

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$33,788

HS graduate

$28,700

Some college or associates

$32,168

Bachelors degree

$36,379

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

9.9%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

40.3%

HS graduate

18.3%

Some college or associates

23.1%

Bachelors degree or higher

9.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Rocky Ford	Otero County	Colorado
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$32,144	$37,930	$60,455
Less than high school graduate	$33,788	$33,750	$37,820
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$28,700	$40,124	$45,140
Some college or associate's degree	$32,168	$35,233	$50,210
Bachelor's degree	$36,379	$45,714	$73,999
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$64,271	$90,992
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	40.3%	50%	19.9%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	18.3%	14.8%	11.5%
Some college or associate's degree	23.1%	15.9%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.9%	7.8%	3.9%

Insights for Rocky Ford, 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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