Rio Grande County Demographics

A map of Rio Grande County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	6,193	6,261	54.7%	54.3%
Hispanic	4,607	4,609	40.7%	39.9%
Multiracial	317	385	2.8%	3.3%
Native American/Other	155	197	1.4%	1.7%
Black	38	51	0.3%	0.4%
Asian	11	36	0.1%	0.3%

Rio Grande County, Colorado has an estimated population of 11,321, a slight decrease from the 11,539 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 54.7% White, 40.7% Hispanic, 2.8% Multiracial, 1.4% Native American/Other, 0.3% Black, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Rio Grande County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Rio Grande has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is slightly more diverse than Colorado overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Rio Grande County, that probability was 54.5% in 2020 and 53.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Rio Grande County is ranked the 37th most populous county in Colorado, out of 64 counties. Rio Grande County was ranked the 37th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Rio Grande County's White Population

6,193 residents of Rio Grande County, or 54.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Rio Grande County is considerably lower than in Colorado overall, where 64.8% of the population is White. Rio Grande County ranks 58th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 64 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rio Grande County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.1%. White residents' share of Rio Grande County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 54.7%.

Rio Grande County is more White than neighboring Conejos County (46% White), and Alamosa County (45.2% White). Rio Grande County is less White than neighboring Saguache County (54.9% White), Mineral County (85.3% White), and Archuleta County (77.4% White).

Rio Grande County's Black Population

38 residents of Rio Grande County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Rio Grande County is slightly lower than in Colorado overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Rio Grande County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 64 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rio Grande County's Black population has declined by an estimated 25.5%. Black residents' share of Rio Grande County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Rio Grande County is more Black than neighboring Conejos County (0.1% Black), Saguache County (0% Black), Mineral County (0% Black), and Archuleta County (0% Black). Rio Grande County is less Black than neighboring Alamosa County (1.7% Black).

Rio Grande County's Asian Population

11 residents of Rio Grande County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Rio Grande County is slightly lower than in Colorado overall, where 3.2% of the population is Asian. Rio Grande County ranks 54th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 64 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rio Grande County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 69.4%. Asian residents' share of Rio Grande County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Rio Grande County is less Asian than neighboring Conejos County (0.4% Asian), Saguache County (1.2% Asian), Mineral County (0.7% Asian), Alamosa County (1% Asian), and Archuleta County (0.7% Asian).

Rio Grande County's Hispanic Population

4,607 residents of Rio Grande County, or 40.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Rio Grande County is significantly higher than in Colorado overall, where 22.5% of the population is Hispanic. Rio Grande County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 64 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rio Grande County's Hispanic population has remained roughly the same. Hispanic residents' share of Rio Grande County's population has increased from 39.9% to 40.7%.

Rio Grande County is more Hispanic than neighboring Saguache County (36.8% Hispanic), Mineral County (6.3% Hispanic), and Archuleta County (16.6% Hispanic). Rio Grande County is less Hispanic than neighboring Conejos County (49.8% Hispanic), and Alamosa County (48.2% Hispanic).

Rio Grande County's Native American/Other Population

155 residents of Rio Grande County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Rio Grande County is comparable to the share in Colorado overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Rio Grande County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 64 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rio Grande County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 21.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Rio Grande County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.4%.

Rio Grande County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Saguache County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Mineral County (0.1% Native American/Other). Rio Grande County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Conejos County (1.8% Native American/Other), and Archuleta County (1.5% Native American/Other).

Rio Grande County's Multiracial Population

317 residents of Rio Grande County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Rio Grande County is comparable to the share in Colorado overall, where 4.6% of the population is Multiracial. Rio Grande County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 64 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Rio Grande County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 17.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Rio Grande County's population has decreased from 3.3% to 2.8%.

Rio Grande County is more Multiracial than neighboring Conejos County (1.9% Multiracial), and Alamosa County (2.4% Multiracial). Rio Grande County is less Multiracial than neighboring Saguache County (6.4% Multiracial), Mineral County (7.5% Multiracial), and Archuleta County (3.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.