Overview
El Paso County is home to 736,008 people (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), making it Colorado's most populous county and larger than 97% of all U.S. counties. Anchored by Colorado Springs, the county sits along the Front Range at the base of Pikes Peak.
The numbers paint a county that's young, educated, and growing. Median household income runs $87,470 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 91% of U.S. counties. The median age is just 35 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), younger than 92% of counties nationally. And 41.1% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), putting El Paso County above 93% of its peers.
Housing is tight. The vacancy rate sits at 4.6% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), lower than 97% of U.S. counties. That pressure shows up in home values: $431,000 at the median (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), ranking above 94% nationally.
Demographics
At 35, El Paso County's median age falls well below Colorado's typical county. Only about 3% of counties in the state skew younger. The military presence at Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy pulls the age distribution down.
The county is 66.4% white, 18.3% Hispanic, 5.5% Black, 2.8% Asian, and 0.2% Native American (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That Hispanic share ranks higher than 85% of U.S. counties, while the Black population exceeds roughly two-thirds of counties nationally.
Education levels run high. The 41.1% bachelor's attainment rate (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) beats both the national and state medians. Within Colorado, El Paso County sits around the upper third among counties for educational attainment, trailing the college towns and metro Denver counties but outpacing most of the state.
Education
El Paso County's school district enrollment totals 118,050 students (Education Data Portal, 2021), larger than 98% of U.S. counties. The student-teacher ratio is 16.8:1 (Education Data Portal, 2021), slightly above the national average of roughly 15.5:1.
Per-pupil spending comes in at $12,801 (Education Data Portal, 2020). That's about $2,200 below the national average of roughly $15,000, and it ranks lower than 84% of Colorado counties. For a county with above-average incomes, the spending gap is notable.
The graduation rate is where the data gets stark. At 69.4% (Education Data Portal, 2019), El Paso County falls below 98% of U.S. counties and 95% of Colorado counties. That figure likely reflects the county's large district footprint, multiple school systems, and a transient military population. But whatever the causes, nearly a third of students aren't finishing on time.
Economy & Employment
The labor force totals 380,179 people, with 366,272 employed (BLS LAUS, 2025). The unemployment rate is 3.7% (BLS LAUS, 2025), sitting near the middle of all U.S. counties and slightly above Colorado's median.
Median household income of $87,470 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023) places El Paso County in the top 10% nationally. Per capita income is $44,250 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), ranking above 88% of U.S. counties. Within Colorado, these figures land in the upper half among counties, reflecting that the state's mountain resort and metro Denver counties push the top end higher.
The poverty rate is 8.3% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), lower than about 85% of U.S. counties. That's a relatively low rate, though it still means roughly 61,000 residents live below the poverty line in a county this size.
IRS data shows 360,870 tax returns filed with an average adjusted gross income of $80,766 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021). Total AGI across the county reached $29.1 billion (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021).
Housing & Cost of Living
Median home value: $431,000 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That ranks above 94% of U.S. counties and sits near the middle of Colorado's range, where mountain communities and the Denver metro push prices higher.
Median gross rent is $1,609 per month (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 95% of counties nationally. The county has 296,753 total housing units with 13,579 vacant (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), producing a 4.6% vacancy rate. That's one of the tightest markets in the country, with 97% of U.S. counties showing more available housing.
Fair market rent data from HUD (2026) is available for the county, though specific bedroom-level breakdowns weren't included in this dataset.
The income-to-housing math tells a clear story. A household earning the median $87,470 could afford roughly $2,187 per month on housing at the 30% threshold. That clears the median rent, but a $431,000 home requires a down payment and mortgage that stretches even above-median earners. For the 8.3% in poverty, rental costs of $1,609 a month aren't workable.
Health & Wellness
El Paso County's health profile splits into strengths and pressure points.
On the physical side: obesity affects 28.5% of adults, diabetes 8.4%, and high blood pressure 27.7% (CDC PLACES, 2023). All three rates fall well below the national median, ranking lower than 94% or more of U.S. counties for obesity and diabetes. Colorado's altitude and outdoor culture likely play a role, and El Paso County's numbers reflect it.
Mental health is a different picture. Depression affects 25.3% of adults, and 17.9% report frequent poor mental health days (CDC PLACES, 2023). The depression rate ranks higher than 64% of U.S. counties and higher than 94% of Colorado counties. That's a notable gap between physical and mental health outcomes.
About 9.5% of residents lack health insurance (CDC PLACES, 2023), and 73.6% had an annual checkup. Cholesterol screening reaches 84.8% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023). Preventive care use ranks above average but not exceptional.
Poor physical health days affect 12.6% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), lower than roughly 72% of U.S. counties. The physical health numbers are consistently better than the mental health figures.
Climate & Natural Disasters
El Paso County sits at the foot of Pikes Peak, and the numbers show it. Average temperatures run cool, with a mean of 48.4°F, average highs of 62.3°F, and average lows of 34.6°F (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025). Annual precipitation is modest at 19.3 inches, but snow is a different story: 48.8 inches per year, more than 88% of U.S. counties (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025).
Fire is the defining hazard here. FEMA records show five fire declarations since 2002, including two major disasters in the same summer of 2013 (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026). The 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire triggered a federal disaster declaration; a year later, the Black Forest Fire did the same. That back-to-back pattern isn't a fluke. It's what happens when a fast-growing county pushes its footprint into the wildland-urban interface.
Flooding shows up repeatedly too. Seven federal flood declarations appear in the record, stretching from 1969 through 2023 (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026). The most recent, in August 2023, came during a summer when heavy rains hit burn-scarred terrain, a combination that accelerates runoff dramatically.
The county's overall disaster count of 20 sits near the middle of the national distribution, lower than 54% of U.S. counties (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026). That figure understates the pattern, though. The concentration of fire and flood declarations isn't random. It reflects the county's geography: dry summers, heavy snowpack that can release quickly, and a sprawling development footprint.
Anyone buying in the foothills should check whether their parcel sits in a mapped flood zone or wildfire risk area. Post-fire flooding is a real secondary risk, and it's been documented here more than once.
Financial Profile
The county's income base is large but not especially concentrated. Average adjusted gross income was $80,766 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021), higher than 83% of U.S. counties. Spread across 360,870 tax returns, that puts total AGI at $29.1 billion, a top-3% figure by volume.
El Paso County ranks 97th nationally in tax return count but only 83rd in average AGI. It's a populous county with a working-class and military wage base, not a high-income one.
The banking footprint follows a similar pattern. There are 28 bank branches in the county (FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023), ranking 84th nationally, with $1.41 billion in total deposits, ranking 76th. The deposit figure running below the population rank reflects the sizable military population, which tends to bank through federal credit unions rather than commercial banks.
Social Security enrollment stands out. The county had 121,465 OASDI beneficiaries as of 2024 (SSA OASDI, 2024), higher than 97% of U.S. counties. That's a large raw number for a county with one of the youngest median ages in the country. Military-related disability claims likely account for part of the gap.
The income picture should hold steady. A large military and federal civilian workforce provides a stable floor, and continued population growth means the aggregate figures keep rising even as the per-capita numbers stay in the middle tier.
Key Comparisons
El Paso County consistently ranks in the top 10% of U.S. counties for size and economic output. Population, labor force, employment, housing units, and total income all place above the 97th mark nationally.
Income levels are strong but not exceptional by Colorado standards. The $87,470 median household income ranks in the top 10% nationally but sits around the 70th mark among Colorado counties. The same pattern holds for home values: high nationally, middling within the state.
The county's standout metrics are its youth and tight housing market. A median age of 35 places it younger than 92% of U.S. counties, and the 4.6% vacancy rate means available housing is scarcer than in 97% of counties nationally.
Health outcomes reveal a split. Physical health metrics (obesity, diabetes, blood pressure) rank among the best 6% nationally. Mental health metrics (depression, poor mental health days) rank above the median, with depression particularly elevated within Colorado.
Education spending at $12,801 per pupil and a 69.4% graduation rate both fall well below national averages. For a county with this income level and education attainment among adults, the K-12 outcomes present a disconnect worth watching.
Commute times average 19.9 minutes (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), shorter than about 69% of U.S. counties. That's a quality-of-life factor that offsets some of the housing cost pressure.
Data Sources
- Census ACS 5-Year, 2023
- BLS LAUS, 2025
- CDC PLACES, 2023
- HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026
- FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026
- IRS Statistics of Income, 2021
- NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025
- SSA OASDI, 2024
- USDA Census of Agriculture, 2022 (no data available for this county)
- Education Data Portal, 2019–2021