According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 973 square miles (2,520 km2), of which 971 sq mi (2,510 km2) is land and 2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2) (0.3%) is water.[3] The county's highest point isCastle Peak, afourteener with a height of 14,265 feet (4,348 m). It is 20 miles (32 km) south of Aspen on theGunnison County border.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 17,358. Of the residents, 16.6% were under the age of 18 and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females there were 105.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.6 males. 67.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 33.0% lived in rural areas.[10][11][12]
Pitkin County, Colorado – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
There were 8,027 households in the county, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 13,245 housing units, of which 39.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 60.1% were owner-occupied and 39.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.2%.[11]
As of thecensus[16] of 2000, there were 14,872 people, 6,807 households, and 3,185 families living in the county. Thepopulation density was 15 people per square mile (5.8 people/km2). There were 10,096 housing units at an average density of 10 units per square mile (3.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.33%White, 0.53%Black orAfrican American, 0.27%Native American, 1.12%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 2.37% fromother races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Of the population, 6.54% wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,807 households, out of which 21.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.70% weremarried couples living together, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.20% were non-families. Of all households, 35.80% were made up of individuals, and 3.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 16.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 38.30% from 25 to 44, 30.50% from 45 to 64, and 6.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $59,375, and the median income for a family was $75,048. Males had a median income of $40,672 versus $33,896 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $40,811. About 3.00% of families and 6.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.40% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.
According to a report in theJournal of the American Medical Association, residents of Pitkin County had a 2014 life expectancy of 86.52 years, the second-longest in the nation.[17] Both men and women live longer in Pitkin County than nearly every other county in the United States. The life expectancy at birth is 85.2 years for men and 88.0 years for women.[18] Two contiguous counties,Summit andEagle counties, rank first and third in the nation respectively in life expectancy.
Factors contributing to the high life expectancy in Pitkin County are "high education, high income, high access to medical care, the people are physically active, obesity is lower than anywhere else—so you're doing it right", said Ali Mokdad, one of the study's co-authors.[19]
In June 2021,U.S. News & World Report ranked the county with the nation's fourth-best life expectancy, at 93.4 years.[20]
Pitkin County favored the Republican nominee in the 1884 and 1888 presidential elections, but in 1892 supported the Populist nominee,James B. Weaver, when Democratic nomineeGrover Cleveland wasn't on the ballot in Colorado. Pitkin County favored the Democratic nominees from 1896 to 1916, voting for them in every election in that period, and being one of the few Western counties to supportAlton B. Parker in 1904. From 1920, Pitkin County followed national trends until being narrowly carried by losing candidateThomas E. Dewey in 1944. Pitkin was largely Republican-leaning until the growing ski resort community drew its residents to the liberalGeorge McGovern – rejected by a majority of the electorates of all but 129 other counties – in 1972. Like many ski destination counties, since 1988 Pitkin has turned heavily Democratic. The last Republican to carry the county wasRonald Reagan in 1984.George H. W. Bush was the last Republican to gain even a third of Pitkin County's vote since then. Joe Biden's performance in the 2020 election was the best by a Democrat in the county since 1900.
In this modern era, Pitkin has also frequently been one of the leading counties for third-party candidates, being the fourth-best county in the nation forEugene McCarthy in 1976[21] and the third-best forJohn B. Anderson in 1980.[22]
United States presidential election results for Pitkin County, Colorado[23]
