Chaffee County, Colorado: commercial real estate data.
Chaffee County, Colorado has a population of 20,178 across 1,013 square miles, up 6.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.30 bn in 2024, 1,076 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 34 7(a) approvals worth $34.4 m.
117 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Chaffee County
How many people live in Chaffee County
- Population20,178
- Households9,863
- Average household size2.05
- Median household income$84,132
- Median age48.7
- Median gross rent$1,611 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$665,700
- Home value to household income7.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income23.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher47.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree18.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over16,499
- Population under 182,804
- Share under 1813.9 percent
- Population 65 and over5,307
- Share 65 and over26.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6412,067
- Civilian labor force9,847
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.7 percent
- Rank by population among Colorado counties26th of 64
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1870th
Chaffee County is the 26th largest of 64 Colorado counties by population. A median home costs 7.9 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.3 percent against 13.9 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Chaffee County
Is Chaffee County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base6.70 percent
- Census 2020 base population19,476
- Births, 2024157
- Deaths, 2024222
- Natural change, 2024-65
- Net domestic migration, 2024221
- Net international migration, 202415
- Total net migration, 2024236
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,368
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents328th
The county has grown 6.70 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Chaffee County
Where people moving to Chaffee County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,103
- People arriving, from those returns1,785
- Adjusted gross income arriving$132.5 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$120,160
- Largest single originChaffee County Non-migrants (8,316 households)
- Largest single destination (8,316 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaffee County Non-migrants | 8,316 | 15,374 | $840.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 436 | 709 | $60.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 171 | 290 | $19.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 129 | 203 | $11.8 m |
| Other flows - West | 121 | 193 | $10.0 m |
| Denver County | 107 | 139 | $13.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 104 | 160 | $9.1 m |
| Jefferson County | 81 | 150 | $11.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Chaffee County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Chaffee County
What the Chaffee County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.30 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.23 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.1 percent
- GDP change over five years48.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among Colorado counties27th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1627th
- GDP per resident$64,662
Output grew 6.1 percent in the latest year and 48.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Chaffee County
Who employs people in Chaffee County
- Covered employment, annual average9,229
- Establishments reporting1,244
- Average annual pay$52,718
- Average weekly wage$1,014
- Sector 72, employment1,581
- Sector 72, average annual pay$32,765
- Sector 44-45, employment1,414
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$38,722
- Sector 23, employment710
- Sector 23, average annual pay$69,026
- Sector 71, employment564
- Sector 71, average annual pay$28,086
- Sector 54, employment401
- Sector 62, employment351
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 72 | 1,581 | 134 | $32,765 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,414 | 147 | $38,722 |
| Sector 23 | 710 | 178 | $69,026 |
| Sector 71 | 564 | 46 | $28,086 |
| Sector 54 | 401 | 193 | $96,907 |
| Sector 62 | 351 | 87 | $51,621 |
| Sector 31-33 | 296 | 37 | $49,015 |
| Sector 42 | 249 | 42 | $58,282 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,581 jobs, 17.1 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Chaffee County
What businesses operate in Chaffee County
- Establishments, all industries1,076
- Employment at those establishments7,171
- Annual payroll$352.3 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents53.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Chaffee County
What is being built in Chaffee County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024289
- Declared construction value permitted$99.3 m
- Single family units authorised274
- Multifamily units authorised15
- Multifamily share of units5.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$343,568
- Units authorised per 1,000 households29.3
Multifamily is 5.2 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Chaffee County
How much SBA lending happens in Chaffee County
- 7(a) approvals recorded34
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$34.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,012,538
- Median 7(a) approval$441,000
- 10th percentile approval$103,500
- 90th percentile approval$2,500,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)739
- Jobs per approval21.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active22
- Distinct industries receiving approvals24
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer23.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms8
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter24
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countEngineering Services (4)
- Most active lenderGlacier Bank (6)
- 504 approvals recorded25
- 504 gross approval dollars$16.1 m
- Average 504 approval$645,680
- Median 504 approval$405,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval6.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.5
- Most active CDCB:Side Capital (20)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals57.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$50.6 m
The average approval of $1,012,538 sits well above the median of $441,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 23.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Chaffee County
Do SBA loans in Chaffee County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded7
- Paid in full7
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled10
- Status: Paid in full7
- Status: Exempt from disclosure17
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 7 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Chaffee County
Which parts of Chaffee County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- SALIDA, approvals17
- BUENA VISTA, approvals14
- Nathrop, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| SALIDA | 17 | $11,901,000 |
| BUENA VISTA | 14 | $20,015,000 |
| Nathrop | 3 | $2,510,300 |
SALIDA accounts for 17 approvals against 14 in BUENA VISTA. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Chaffee County
How big is Chaffee County
- Land area1,013 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Colorado counties43rd of 64
- Width, east to west38.8 mi
- Height, north to south43.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land20
- Establishments per square mile1.06
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Chaffee County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Chaffee County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population20,178
- Households9,863
- Average household size2.05
- Median household income$84,132
- Median age48.7
Common questions
Chaffee County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Chaffee County, Colorado?
20,178, in 9,863 households, ranking 26th of 64 Colorado counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Chaffee County growing?
The population has grown 6.70 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 157 births against 222 deaths, with net migration of 236. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Chaffee County?
$84,132. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $665,700, which is 7.9 times income, and median gross rent is $1,611 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Chaffee County?
1,076 establishments, employing 7,171 people with an annual payroll of $352.3 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Chaffee County?
Average annual pay is $52,718, or $1,014 a week, across 9,229 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Chaffee County?
34 7(a) approvals totalling $34.4 m since FY2020, across 22 lenders, with a median approval of $441,000, plus 25 504 approvals worth $16.1 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Chaffee County?
289 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $99.3 m. Multifamily was 5.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Chaffee County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Chaffee County come from?
The largest single origin is Chaffee County Non-migrants, with 8,316 households. Arriving households report an average income of $120,160 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Chaffee County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Chaffee County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.