Elbert County was created on February 2, 1874, from the eastern portions ofDouglas County. On February 6, 1874, the county was enlarged to include part of northernGreenwood County upon Greenwood's dissolution, and originally extended south and east of its present boundaries to reach to theKansas state line. The county was named forSamuel Hitt Elbert,[3] theGovernor of theTerritory of Colorado when the county was formed. In 1889, Elbert County was reduced to its modern size when its eastern portions were taken to createLincoln,Kit Carson, andCheyenne counties.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,851 square miles (4,790 km2), of which 1,851 square miles (4,790 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.01%) is water.[4]
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 26,062. Of the residents, 21.7% were under the age of 18 and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 45.9 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.4 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.[10][11][12]
Elbert 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 9,376 households in the county, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 13.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 9,805 housing units, of which 4.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 91.1% were owner-occupied and 8.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.[11]
At the2000 census there were 19,872 people, 6,770 households, and 5,652 families in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4.2 people/km2). There were 7,113 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1.5/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 95.22% White, 0.64% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.28% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. 3.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[16] Of the 6,770 households 42.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.10% were married couples living together, 5.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.50% were non-families. 12.20% of households were one person and 3.10% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.19.
The age distribution was 30.20% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 32.80% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 6.00% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males.
The median household income was $62,480 and the median family income was $66,740. Males had a median income of $45,329 versus $29,767 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,960. About 2.50% of families and 4.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.60% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over.
In senatorial elections, the county has been similarly Republican. In gubernatorial elections, Elbert County has also generally been powerfully Republican, but was nonetheless carried by DemocratRoy Romer by a narrow margin in 1990[18] – when he carried all but four counties statewide – byDick Lamm in 1982[19] and by Constitution Party candidateTom Tancredo in 2010.[20]
The official newspaper of record used by the county is the weeklyElbert County News.[21] The weeklyRanchland News and monthlyPrairie Times also cover local events.
