Otero County, Colorado
Population 18,321 · La Junta, Rocky Ford, Fowler
- Overall cost of living: −2.5% vs the US average, higher than 85% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Severe drought: 30.5% of weeks, higher than 96% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−2.5% | higher than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Colorado outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $168,900 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Median rent | $839 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $175/mo | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,951/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.31% | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 2.9% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $520 | lower than 96% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $54,037 | lower than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -10.7% | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 242.6 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈266 days | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 93°F | higher than 87% of US counties |
| January low | 15°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 25 in | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 83 days | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 159 days | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 30.5% of weeks | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈51.7°F | lower than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 12.7 in | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $186/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $164/yr | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $1.8/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $6.4/yr | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $5.1/yr | higher than 78% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 5.5 µg/m³ | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 761.2 mi | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,039.2 ft | higher than 76% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 88.7% | lower than 60% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 18.2% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.9:1 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 89% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | N/A | |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.86 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 5.9 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 71/100k | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 72.2 yrs | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 10.3% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 428/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 33/100k | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 76.8% | higher than 71% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 73 min | higher than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 108 min | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 21 min | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 84.8% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 6.1% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 115 min | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 51 per sq mi | higher than 79% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.6 per 1k | lower than 59% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 19.5 per 1k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Population | 18,321 | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Median age | 41.8 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -6 per 1k/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 35.5% Dem | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 61.8% Rep | lower than 68% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.7% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % White | 52.4% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 42% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.1% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.7% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 58 parks | higher than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 19.6 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.7 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.6% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 4 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 19 km | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 15 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 21 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data