Garfield County, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Garfield County
U.S. county
Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Founded	February 10, 1883
Named for	James A. Garfield
Seat	Glenwood Springs
Largest city	Rifle
Area
• Total	2,956 sq mi (7,660 km2)
• Land	2,948 sq mi (7,640 km2)
• Water	8.3 sq mi (21 km2)  0.3%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	61,685
• Density	21/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,685. The county seat is Glenwood Springs. The county is named in honor of United States President James A. Garfield. 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

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.

Adjacent counties

• Rio Blanco County - north
• Routt County - northeast
• Eagle County - east
• Pitkin County - southeast
• Mesa County - south
• Grand County, Utah - southwest
• Uintah County, Utah - northwest

Major highways

• Interstate 70
• I-70 Bus.
• I-70 Bus.
• U.S. Highway 6
• State Highway 13
• State Highway 82
• State Highway 133
• State Highway 139
• State Highway 325

Protected areas

• Flat Tops Wilderness
• Grand Mesa National Forest
• Harvey Gap State Park
• Rifle Falls State Park
• Rifle Gap State Park
• Routt National Forest
• White River National Forest

Scenic byways

• Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway National Scenic Byway
• Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway
• West Elk Loop Scenic Byway

Demographics

The 2019 Census population estimate for Garfield County is 60,061, 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

Garfield County is served by three public school districts:

• Roaring Fork School District RE-1, serving Glenwood Springs and Carbondale
• 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

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.

Communities

Cities

• Glenwood Springs
• Rifle

Towns

• Carbonate (ghost town)
• Carbondale
• New Castle
• Parachute
• Silt

Census-designated places

• Battlement Mesa
• Catherine
• Cattle Creek
• Chacra
• Mulford
• No Name

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Garfield (Colorado) para niños