• county
  • FIPS 08015
  • Largest town: Salida

Chaffee County, Colorado

Chaffee County had 20,780 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,013.4 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 64 in Colorado by population and 43rd by land area.

Population
20,780
#25 of 64 in Colorado · #1,781 in US
Area
1,013.4 sq mi
#43 of 64 in Colorado · #664 in US
Density
21 / sq mi
#24 of 64 in Colorado · #2,229 in US
Median household income
$75,298
#30 of 64 in Colorado · #654 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Chaffee County within Colorado. Pin: Denver.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Chaffee County

Chaffee County population, land area and income

Chaffee County had 20,780 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,013.4 square miles of land. It ranks 25th of 64 in Colorado by population and 43rd by land area. That works out to 20.5 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Colorado has 15,336 residents; Chaffee County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $75,298 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

20,780

3144th1st

1781st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,013 sq mi

3144th1st

664th of 3,144 (US)

Density

20.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

2229th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$75,298

3143rd1st

654th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Colorado (64)

Population

20,780

64th1st

25th of 64 (CO)

Land area

1,013 sq mi

64th1st

43rd of 64 (CO)

Density

20.5 / sq mi

64th1st

24th of 64 (CO)

Median household income

$75,298

64th1st

30th of 64 (CO)

How Chaffee County's population changed since 2020

Chaffee County gained 1,292 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 6.6%. That ranks 7th of 64 in Colorado for growth. The median Colorado county changed by +1.7%, and the state as a whole by +2.9%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Chaffee County recorded 645 births and 850 deaths, a natural change of -205. Net international migration added +38 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,415. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,415 people.

19.5k202019.7k202120.3k202220.6k202320.8k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
645
Deaths
850
Net international migration
+38
Net domestic migration
+1,415
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+172

Where Chaffee County is

The Census internal point of Chaffee County is at 38.734600, -106.300000. It sits in UTM zone 13N. The map shades Colorado's 64 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Chaffee County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Otero County: -3.6%Lake County: -0.6%Adams County: +4.3%Kit Carson County: +0.2%Phillips County: -0.9%Bent County: +5.5%Lincoln County: -1.1%Washington County: -0.9%Hinsdale County: -5.1%Alamosa County: +1.9%Kiowa County: -4.1%Arapahoe County: +1.8%Archuleta County: +5.1%Montrose County: +4.6%Jefferson County: -0.8%Gilpin County: +2.5%Larimer County: +4.1%Custer County: +17.5%Saguache County: +4.3%Mineral County: +7.1%Broomfield County: +5.1%Logan County: -2.1%Mesa County: +3.4%Eagle County: -2.4%Denver County: +1.6%Pitkin County: -4.2%Boulder County: -0.2%El Paso County: +2.6%Las Animas County: +0.1%San Miguel County: -2.9%Douglas County: +9.3%Cheyenne County: -1.9%Garfield County: +2.2%Ouray County: +6.5%San Juan County: +16.0%Yuma County: +0.8%Elbert County: +12.1%Prowers County: -0.5%Morgan County: +4.2%Delta County: +3.7%Chaffee County: +6.6%Huerfano County: +2.4%Teller County: +0.5%Costilla County: +5.3%Baca County: -3.3%Routt County: +1.6%Conejos County: +1.3%Summit County: -1.1%Clear Creek County: -3.0%Fremont County: +2.5%Rio Blanco County: +1.3%Dolores County: +5.8%Grand County: +2.6%Gunnison County: +2.1%Park County: +5.1%Sedgwick County: -5.5%Montezuma County: +3.7%La Plata County: +2.1%Moffat County: -1.0%Rio Grande County: -3.6%Weld County: +11.5%Pueblo County: +0.9%Jackson County: -7.6%Crowley County: -1.5%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < +0.5%
  3. < +2.4%
  4. < +5.1%
  5. ≥ +5.1%
no data

Orange pin: Chaffee County internal point. Dark pin: Denver.

Internal point

Decimal
38.734600, -106.300000
DMS
38°44'4.56"N 106°18'0.00"W
UTM
13N 387009.3E 4288127.7N
Geohash
9wukm56tq
Plus code
85CMPMMX+RX

Towns in Chaffee County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Chaffee County, 10,492 people together, or 50% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Chaffee County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Salida with 6,007.

  1. 01Salida6,007
  2. 02Buena Vista3,127
  3. 03Poncha Springs1,358
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Chaffee County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Chaffee County. The most populous is Fremont County, CO, with 50,093 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Denver and the nearest big city

Denver is 98.8 miles NE of Chaffee County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Colorado Springs, CO (population 493,554), 83.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Cañon City, CO (population 17,193), 61.7 miles away.

Chaffee County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Chaffee County is 08015: state code 08 for Colorado plus county code 015. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $75,298.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Chaffee County, Colorado?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 20,780. That is up 1,292 people (6.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 19,488.

What is the FIPS code of Chaffee County?

08015. The first two digits (08) are Colorado; the last three (015) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Chaffee County?

Salida, with 6,007 residents inside Chaffee County in 2024.

Which counties border Chaffee County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Fremont County, CO; Park County, CO; Gunnison County, CO; Pitkin County, CO; Lake County, CO; Saguache County, CO.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.