Otero County, Colorado: commercial real estate data.
Otero County, Colorado has a population of 18,321 across 1,262 square miles, down 3.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $738.8 m in 2024, 403 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 14 7(a) approvals worth $6.1 m.
118 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Otero County
How many people live in Otero County
- Population18,321
- Households7,584
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$54,037
- Median age41.8
- Median gross rent$839 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$168,900
- Home value to household income3.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over12,561
- Population under 184,232
- Share under 1823.1 percent
- Population 65 and over3,894
- Share 65 and over21.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,195
- Civilian labor force8,128
- Unemployment rate6.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over57.7 percent
- Rank by population among Colorado counties27th of 64
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1974th
Otero County is the 27th largest of 64 Colorado counties by population. A median home costs 3.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.1 percent against 21.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Otero County
Is Otero County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.72 percent
- Census 2020 base population18,686
- Births, 2024207
- Deaths, 2024222
- Natural change, 2024-15
- Net domestic migration, 2024-156
- Net international migration, 202415
- Total net migration, 2024-141
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-410
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2854th
The county has lost 3.72 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Otero County
Where people moving to Otero County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving440
- People arriving, from those returns764
- Adjusted gross income arriving$18.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$43,005
- Largest single originOtero County Non-migrants (6,273 households)
- Largest single destination (6,273 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otero County Non-migrants | 6,273 | 12,959 | $322.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 157 | 302 | $6.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 135 | 222 | $6.2 m |
| Pueblo County | 81 | 133 | $3.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 70 | 137 | $2.7 m |
| Other flows - West | 48 | 87 | $2.5 m |
| El Paso County | 42 | 61 | $1.7 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 39 | 78 | $1.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Otero 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.
Otero County
What the Otero County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$738.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$727.8 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.5 percent
- GDP change over five years21.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Colorado counties35th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2089th
- GDP per resident$40,326
Output grew 1.5 percent in the latest year and 21.8 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.
Otero County
Who employs people in Otero County
- Covered employment, annual average6,054
- Establishments reporting512
- Average annual pay$46,375
- Average weekly wage$892
- Sector 62, employment1,157
- Sector 62, average annual pay$53,921
- Sector 44-45, employment688
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,711
- Sector 72, employment576
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,022
- Sector 31-33, employment486
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$61,113
- Sector 42, employment297
- Sector 11, employment237
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 1,157 | 82 | $53,921 |
| Sector 44-45 | 688 | 54 | $34,711 |
| Sector 72 | 576 | 52 | $21,022 |
| Sector 31-33 | 486 | 16 | $61,113 |
| Sector 42 | 297 | 33 | $44,612 |
| Sector 11 | 237 | 36 | $41,527 |
| Sector 23 | 190 | 33 | $58,215 |
| Sector 52 | 150 | 20 | $72,642 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,157 jobs, 19.1 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.
Otero County
What businesses operate in Otero County
- Establishments, all industries403
- Employment at those establishments4,508
- Annual payroll$193.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.0
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.
Otero County
What is being built in Otero County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202446
- Declared construction value permitted$11.9 m
- Single family units authorised12
- Multifamily units authorised34
- Multifamily share of units73.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$258,875
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.1
Multifamily is 73.9 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Otero County
How much SBA lending happens in Otero County
- 7(a) approvals recorded14
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$6.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$435,064
- Median 7(a) approval$250,000
- 10th percentile approval$30,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,225,500
- Largest single approval$1,335,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)65
- Jobs per approval4.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active9
- Distinct industries receiving approvals10
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer35.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms5
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter8
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals14.3 percent
- Leading industry by approval countHotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (3)
- Most active lenderU.S. Bank, National Association (5)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$171,000
- Average 504 approval$171,000
- Median 504 approval$171,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval7.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved40.9
- Most active CDCPikes Peak Regional Development Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals93.3 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$6.3 m
The average approval of $435,064 sits well above the median of $250,000, 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. 35.7 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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.
Otero County
Do SBA loans in Otero County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Exempt from disclosure9
- Status: Cancelled2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 3 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.
Otero County
Which parts of Otero County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- LA JUNTA, approvals6
- Rocky Ford, approvals5
- FOWLER, approvals2
- LAJUNTA, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| LA JUNTA | 6 | $4,378,200 |
| Rocky Ford | 5 | $1,407,700 |
| FOWLER | 2 | $105,000 |
| LAJUNTA | 1 | $200,000 |
LA JUNTA accounts for 6 approvals against 5 in Rocky Ford. 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.
Otero County
How big is Otero County
- Land area1,262 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Colorado counties37th of 64
- Width, east to west36 mi
- Height, north to south42.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land15
- Establishments per square mile0.32
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 Otero 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 Otero County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population18,321
- Households7,584
- Average household size2.42
- Median household income$54,037
- Median age41.8
Common questions
Otero County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Otero County, Colorado?
18,321, in 7,584 households, ranking 27th of 64 Colorado counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Otero County growing?
The population has fallen 3.72 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 207 births against 222 deaths, with net migration of -141. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Otero County?
$54,037. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $168,900, which is 3.1 times income, and median gross rent is $839 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Otero County?
403 establishments, employing 4,508 people with an annual payroll of $193.9 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 Otero County?
Average annual pay is $46,375, or $892 a week, across 6,054 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Otero County?
14 7(a) approvals totalling $6.1 m since FY2020, across 9 lenders, with a median approval of $250,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $171,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Otero County?
46 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.9 m. Multifamily was 73.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Otero 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 Otero County come from?
The largest single origin is Otero County Non-migrants, with 6,273 households. Arriving households report an average income of $43,005 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 Otero 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 Otero 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.