Official Federal Data
Garfield County, Colorado
FIPS 08045 · Rifle, CO · Population 62,479
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$91,131 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.2% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$5B ▲
GDP
33.6% ▲
Bachelor's+
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
$91,131 ▲
Per Capita
$44,160 ▲
Mean Household
$113,996 ▲
Poverty Rate
8.2% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Garfield County$91,131
Colorado$95,470
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
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%
▼ 0.2 pts
33.6%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 2.1 pts
12.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 1.8 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
62,479
Population
35,402
Labor Force
Employed
34,162
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.2% ▼ 0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11%
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Construction employs 3,858 workers (20.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $74,452.
- 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
Dominant Cluster
Construction Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
3,383
Cluster Employment
3.20x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Oil and Gas Extraction
20.24x 423
Support Activities for Mining
9.07x 432
Specialty Trade Contractors
3.20x 2,978
Waste Management and Remediation Services
2.26x 209
Accommodation
2.22x 762
Utilities
2.01x 217
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
1.91x 405
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
1.91x 652
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
1.66x 607
Private Households
1.55x 57
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.16x
Food Manufacturing
52 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Oil and Gas Extraction concentrates at 20.24x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
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
$527,800 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,637 ▲
Rent/Mo
69.6% ▲
Owner-Occ
6.2% ▼
Vacancy
5.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Stretched
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
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 household income (~$2,278/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
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: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,278/mo).
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, B23025, B08303, B08301
37,918 ▲
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
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
33.6% ▲
HS Diploma+
89.4% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
40,234/yr
9,646/yr
7,956/yr
7,631/yr
5,700/yr
5,675/yr
3,626/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
19.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
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 scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 34,162 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Strong participation: 75.1% labor force participation among working-age residents indicates an engaged, available workforce.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 25,233 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Garfield County shows strong potential for oil and gas extraction attraction, with a 20.24x concentration and 423 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across oil and gas extraction, support activities for mining, and specialty trade contractors creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
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 LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
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 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
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, CAGDP1).
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