Archuleta County Airport Census Data (September 2004 article reprinted with permission from The Pagosa Sun )

Who are the people of Archuleta County? Census data revealing.
By Richard Walter
Staff Writer

Trying to keep up with the Joneses is as old an American tradition as baseball and apple pie.

No one wants to be considered one of the "less haves" and poverty - while staring many in the face - is almost as verboten in our lexicon as some of the political "trash talk" we hear.

Census data can tell us many things about ourselves, Ol' Joe next door or those in the economic heights many of us so want to emulate.  

When the U.S. Census Bureau issued a report last week indicating both the number of persons living below the poverty level and the number without insurance coverage were growing by leaps and bounds, it prompted a look at some local data.

There is a wide and mixed variety of information available, but like all governmental service, is varied in content according to year. Some of what you're going to see here is based on 2000 census data (some based on 1999 surveys); some on Census Bureau actual data for 2002 and estimates for 2003 and some on projected figures supplied in online reports by the Bureau.

To set the stage for analyzing the other reports, it is necessary to note the Bureau estimates Archuleta County's population at 11,313 as of July 1, 2003, a 14.3 percent increase from the actual 9,898 counted in the county in the 2000 census (a figure most believe was way too low).

Based on the 2000 census data, 11.7 percent of the county's population was living below the poverty level. But that, too, has several caveats.

The Office of Management and Budget at the Census Bureau defines poverty threshold (on July 1, 2003) as $18,810 for a family of four; $14,680 for a family of three; $12,115 for a family of two; and $9,393 for an individual. Inflation could have made the percentage within the county higher or lower three years earlier.

The Bureau said the median household income (in the 2000 report) in the county was $37,901.

How flush with cash was the rest of the county compared to the median?

The statistics might surprise you.

So, let's look first at the high and low ends.

For 403 of the 3,989 households then in the county, total household income was $10,000 or less.

At the opposite end of the scale, 166 households had incomes of $150,000 or more, 103 of those at $200,000 or more.

The largest percentage of households (839 or 21 percent) were in the $35,000 to $50,000 bracket. Median family income was $43,259.  

If people are making that much money, what are they doing to earn it. Where is the occupational center of the employment force?

Again, you may be surprised beyond No. 1 - construction, with 846 jobs.

Ranking second in employment numbers, with 775 posts filled, was the broad category of arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services.

Third, with 638 was retail trade and fourth, with 593, was educational, health and social services positions.

Haven't found yourself yet?

All you real estate people, including finance, insurance, rental and leasing along with sales, were fifth with 373 posts filled. Sixth, with 355, came another broad swath - professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services.

Seventh, other public services (except public administration) nailed down 256 positions. That public administration category had 213.

Still haven't found yourself?

Maybe these groups will add you to the mix: transportation, warehousing and utilities, 182; agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting and mining, 157; manufacturing, 125, information, 83; and wholesale trade, 56.

The Bureau said the county had a workforce of 4,891 and, as of April 1, 2000, only 239 of that number were unemployed.

Please recognize that workforce figure includes only those 16 and older and does not take into account the number of retired residents of the county.

So, how did all those people get to their jobs on the roadways of the county?

Of 4,465 who commuted to job sites, 3,153 drove alone in car, truck or van. An additional 689 used the same mode, but carpooled. Five used public transportation (a figure likely much higher now) while 376 worked at home and 170 walked to their jobs. The mean travel time was 19.2 minutes.

With 6,944 housing units as of July 2002, the county had an ownership rate of 76.8 percent, compared to 67.3 percent for the state as a whole.

Median value of owner-occupied housing units was $167,400, slightly higher than the $166,600 figure for the state.

The number of persons per household as of April 1, 2000, was 2.47, slightly lower than the statewide average of 2.53.

The biggest group (1,603 or 25.8 percent) of the county's homes, on the same date, were constructed in the period 1980-1989. Prior to that, the biggest surge was 1,223 built in the 1995-1998 time frame. Going way back, 210 occupied county homes were constructed in 1939 or earlier and 265 were built between 1940 and 1959.

The median home size, not counting bathrooms, was five rooms with 1,492 at that level; 1,318 had four rooms and 1,136 had six rooms; 627 had seven rooms; 327 had eight rooms and 248 nine or more rooms.  

In 1,226 homes with a mortgage, 23 owners were paying less than $300 per month and 71 were dishing out $2,000 or more per month. In between were 50 paying $300-$500; 269, $500-$700; 326, $700-$1,000; and 144, $1,500-2000.

Here are some other quick facts based on the 2000 census which may be of interest:

- 5.4 percent of the 9,898 population was under 5 years old compared to 6.9 percent statewide;

- 25.3 percent was under 18 years old compared to 25.6 percent statewide;

- 11.9 percent were 65 or older, compared to 9.7 percent statewide;

- of the total population, 49.3 percent was female compared to 49.6 percent statewide;

- 87.3 percent of those 25 or older were high school graduates and 29 percent in the same age group had a bachelor's degree or higher;  

- 1,939 of those five or older had a physical disability;

- 2.9 percent of the total population in the county was foreign born and 11.9 percent over age 5 lived in a home where a language other than English was the primary communication;

- persons of Hispanic or Latino origin represented 16.8 percent of the total county population;

- with 1,350 square miles of land area, the county's population density was 7.3 per square mile compared to the statewide average of 41.5;

- 1,855 county households had two or more vehicles and 936 had three or more;

- 1,679 homes were heated with bottled, tank or LP gas, 1,274 with utility supplied natural gas, 548 with wood, 414 with electricity, 36 with solar energy, eight with fuel oil or kerosene, four with coal or coke, and 17 with other fuel (not specified);

- 90 dwelling units lacked complete plumbing facilities, 76 lacked complete kitchen facilities and 67 had no telephone service;

- In 2002, federal grants to the county, town and other organizations in the county totaled $39.23 million of the $2.62 billion coming into the state the same year.

Finally, while the Bureau had updated 2003 poverty and uninsured resident data for larger geographic units, like states, none will be available for small communities (like Pagosa Springs) or smaller rural counties (like Archuleta) for several months.

Go back to Archuleta County Market Data/Statistics main page.