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Garfield County, Colorado

Coordinates: 39°36′N 107°54′W / 39.60°N 107.90°W / 39.60; -107.90
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Garfield County
County
Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs
Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs
Flag of Garfield County
Flag
Motto: 
"New Energy in the Wild West"[1]
Map of Colorado highlighting Garfield County
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Map of the United States highlighting Colorado
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°36′N 107°54′W / 39.6°N 107.9°W / 39.6; -107.9
Country United States
State Colorado
FoundedFebruary 10, 1883
Named forJames A. Garfield
SeatGlenwood Springs
Largest cityRifle
Area
 • Total
2,956 sq mi (7,660 km2)
 • Land2,948 sq mi (7,640 km2)
 • Water8.3 sq mi (21 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
61,685
 • Estimate 
(2023)[2]
62,707 Increase
 • Density21/sq mi (8.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.garfield-county.com

Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,685.[3] The county seat is Glenwood Springs.[4] The county is named in honor of United States President James A. Garfield.[5] Garfield County is included in the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Edwards-Glenwood Springs, CO Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,956 square miles (7,660 km2), of which 2,948 square miles (7,640 km2) is land and 8.3 square miles (21 km2) (0.3%) is water.[6]

Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Protected areas

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Scenic byways

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18904,478—
19005,83530.3%
191010,14473.8%
19209,304−8.3%
19309,9757.2%
194010,5605.9%
195011,62510.1%
196012,0173.4%
197014,82123.3%
198022,51451.9%
199029,97433.1%
200043,79146.1%
201056,38928.8%
202061,6859.4%
2023 (est.)62,707[7]1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[3]

The 2019 Census population estimate for Garfield County is 60,061,[12] a 6.5% increase from the 2010 Census.

  • Population density per square mile: 19.1 (2010)
  • Race Estimations (2019)
    • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino (67.4%)
    • Hispanic or Latino (29.3%)
    • Black or African American alone (1.3%)
    • American Indian and Alaskan Native alone (1.7%)
    • Asian, alone (0.9%)
    • Two or more races (2.0%)
  • Age and Sex Estimations (2019)
    • Persons under 5 years of age (6.8%)
    • Persons under 18 years of age (24.9%)
    • Persons 65 years of age and over (13.8%)
    • Female persons (48.9%)
  • Housing
    • Housing units, 2019: (24,363)
    • Owner occupied housing unit rate, 2014-2018: (66.9%)
    • Persons per household, 2014-2018: (2.73)
  • Education (2014-2018)
    • High school graduate (87.5%)
    • Bachelor's degree or higher (30.0%)
  • Income and Poverty (2014 - 2018)
    • Median household income: ($72, 898)
    • Per capita income: $32,491)
    • Persons in poverty: (8.4%)

Education

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Garfield County is served by three public school districts:

  • Roaring Fork School District RE-1, serving Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, and Basalt[a]
  • Garfield County School District RE-2, serving Rifle, New Castle, and Silt
  • Garfield County School District 16, serving Parachute and Battlement Mesa

The county is also home to private schools, including Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, St. Stephen Catholic School in Glenwood Springs, and Liberty Classical Academy in New Castle.

Higher Education

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The county is home to multiple campuses of Colorado Mountain College, a community college serving much of western Colorado. CMC operates a flagship residential campus at Spring Valley, just south of Glenwood Springs. Additional branch campuses in Garfield County are located in Glenwood Springs, Rifle, and Carbondale.

Economy

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Top Employers

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As of its 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Garfield County's top employers are:[13]

# Employer Employee range
1 Valley View Hospital 1,000 - 1,250
2 Roaring Fork School District RE-1 500 - 999
3 Garfield County School District RE-2 500 - 999
4 Grand River Hospital 500 - 999
5 City Market 500 - 999
6 Garfield County 250 - 499
7 Colorado Mountain College 250 - 499
8 Walmart 250 - 499
9 City of Glenwood Springs 200 - 499
10 Alpine Bank 100 - 249


Government

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Garfield County is governed by a board of three county commissioners, who oversee the county's financial affairs, infrastructure developments, public health matters, and general economic development.[14]

The Garfield County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement and civil services, and also oversees the county's emergency management, search and rescue, and tactical response functions.

Colorado River Fire Rescue, established in 2012, oversees fire and paramedic response for much of the county. Glenwood Springs and Carbondale maintain their own municipal fire departments.

Public transportation is provided by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. RFTA is the second-largest public transportation entity in Colorado (behind the Denver area's Regional Transportation District), and the largest rural public transit provider in the United States. Bustang, Colorado's inter-city bus service, runs its east-west route from Denver Union Station to Grand Junction, making stops in Glenwood Springs, Rifle, and Parachute. Amtrak, running from Chicago to Emeryville, California, makes a stop in Glenwood Springs.

The Rifle Correctional Center, operated by the Colorado Department of Corrections, is located in unincorporated Garfield County, nine miles north of Rifle.

Elected Officials

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Position Elected Official
County Commissioner Mike Samson
County Commissioner John Martin
County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky
County Assessor Jim Yellico
County Clerk and Recorder Jackie Harmon
County Coroner Robert Glassmire
County Sheriff Lou Vallario
County Surveyor Scott Aibner
County Treasurer/Public Trustee Carrie Couey

Garfield County lies within the 9th Judicial District which is represented by District Attorney Jefferson J. Cheney.[15]

Politics

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Voting participation rates in Garfield County are above the U.S. national average.[16][17] In the 2018 general election, 65% of eligible voters participated. In the 2020 presidential election, 84.47% eligible voters participated. The county leans slightly Republican based on vote totals in elections from 2008 to 2018, with an estimated range of 2 to 1,000 votes often determining candidate outcomes for the county.

Garfield County has primarily voted for Republican Party candidates in presidential elections throughout its history, with the county only failing to back the Republican candidate ten times from 1884 to 2020. Although the county includes the relatively liberal cities of Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, this is somewhat outweighed by the nearby towns of Rifle, Silt, Parachute, and Battlement Mesa. Until 2020, the most recent Democratic win was by Bill Clinton in 1992, but Republicans were held to a plurality of the county's votes in half of the six following presidential elections prior to 2020. Notably, Barack Obama lost the county to John McCain by two votes in 2008.

In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the county since Clinton in 1992, with about 50% of the vote. No Democratic presidential candidate has won a majority of the vote in the county since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, although in 2020, Biden was just 26 votes shy of having the majority of the vote in the county. The county's leftward trend continued significantly in 2022, during which it backed the Democratic candidates and eventual winners in every statewide race.

The county lies in Colorado's 3rd congressional district, represented by Republican Jeff Hurd.

United States presidential election results for Garfield County, Colorado[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 14,493 47.71% 15,128 49.80% 755 2.49%
2020 14,717 47.62% 15,427 49.92% 760 2.46%
2016 13,132 49.61% 11,271 42.58% 2,067 7.81%
2012 12,535 51.36% 11,305 46.32% 568 2.33%
2008 11,359 49.21% 11,357 49.20% 366 1.59%
2004 11,123 53.87% 9,228 44.69% 296 1.43%
2000 9,103 53.22% 6,087 35.59% 1,914 11.19%
1996 6,281 44.43% 5,722 40.47% 2,135 15.10%
1992 4,404 31.51% 5,082 36.36% 4,490 32.13%
1988 6,358 57.21% 4,620 41.57% 136 1.22%
1984 7,111 69.14% 3,076 29.91% 98 0.95%
1980 5,416 58.08% 2,639 28.30% 1,270 13.62%
1976 4,699 59.74% 2,852 36.26% 315 4.00%
1972 4,452 66.27% 2,088 31.08% 178 2.65%
1968 3,157 52.24% 2,273 37.61% 613 10.14%
1964 2,282 41.58% 3,196 58.24% 10 0.18%
1960 3,215 58.04% 2,313 41.76% 11 0.20%
1956 3,332 62.90% 1,953 36.87% 12 0.23%
1952 3,914 68.44% 1,777 31.07% 28 0.49%
1948 2,416 50.10% 2,364 49.03% 42 0.87%
1944 2,588 57.97% 1,865 41.78% 11 0.25%
1940 2,894 57.18% 2,141 42.30% 26 0.51%
1936 1,945 42.95% 2,406 53.14% 177 3.91%
1932 1,734 36.05% 2,946 61.25% 130 2.70%
1928 2,435 60.03% 1,562 38.51% 59 1.45%
1924 1,934 51.27% 917 24.31% 921 24.42%
1920 1,912 54.32% 1,489 42.30% 119 3.38%
1916 1,139 29.86% 2,479 64.98% 197 5.16%
1912 824 21.10% 1,806 46.25% 1,275 32.65%
1908 1,504 41.99% 1,898 52.99% 180 5.03%
1904 1,639 53.09% 1,286 41.66% 162 5.25%
1900 826 32.29% 1,700 66.46% 32 1.25%
1896 173 7.61% 2,065 90.81% 36 1.58%
1892 634 47.00% 0 0.00% 715 53.00%
1888 1,110 56.63% 820 41.84% 30 1.53%
1884 245 63.80% 139 36.20% 0 0.00%

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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  1. ^ Despite being served by a Garfield County school district, most of Basalt's schools are located in neighboring Pitkin County.
  2. ^ Despite having no permanent population since the 1890 US Census, the town's property owners voted to reactivate the local government in 2014.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Garfield County, Colorado". garfield-county.com.
  2. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 134.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  12. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Garfield County, Colorado". www.census.gov. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  13. ^ "2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report" (PDF). garfield-county.com.
  14. ^ "Policy Directives - Board of County Commissioners". garfield-county.com.
  15. ^ "Meet the District Attorney". District Attorney: 9th Judicial District. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "Election archives – Clerk and Recorder". www.garfield-county.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  17. ^ "Voter turnout in the United States presidential elections", Wikipedia, October 8, 2020, retrieved October 11, 2020
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
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39°36′N 107°54′W / 39.60°N 107.90°W / 39.60; -107.90

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