Pitkin County, Colorado

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Not to be confused with Pitkin, Colorado.

Pitkin County
U.S. county
Pitkin County Courthouse
Pitkin County Courthouse
Map of Colorado highlighting Pitkin 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°13′N 106°55′W / 39.22°N 106.92°W / 39.22; -106.92
Country United States
State Colorado
FoundedFebruary 23, 1881
Named forFrederick Walker Pitkin
SeatAspen
Largest cityAspen
Area
 • Total973 sq mi (2,520 km2)
 • Land971 sq mi (2,510 km2)
 • Water2.5 sq mi (6 km2)  0.3%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total17,358
 • Density18/sq mi (7/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.pitkincounty.com

Pitkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,358.[1] The county seat and largest city is Aspen.[2] The county is named for Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin. Pitkin County has the seventh-highest per capita income of any U.S. county.[3] Measured by mean income of the top 5% of earners, it is the wealthiest U.S. county.[4]

Pitkin County is included in the Glenwood Springs Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Edwards-Glenwood Springs Combined Statistical Area.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 973 square miles (2,520 km2), of which 971 sq mi (2,510 km2) is land and 2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2) (0.3%) is water.[5] The county's highest point is Castle Peak, a fourteener with a height of 14,265 feet (4,348 m). It is 20 miles (32 km) south of Aspen on the Gunnison County border.

Adjacent counties[]

  • Eagle County – northeast
  • Lake County – east
  • Chaffee County – southeast
  • Gunnison County – south
  • Mesa County – west
  • Garfield County – northwest

Major highways[]

National protected areas[]

Trails and byways[]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18908,929—
19007,020−21.4%
19104,566−35.0%
19202,707−40.7%
19301,770−34.6%
19401,8363.7%
19501,643−10.5%
19602,38144.9%
19706,185159.8%
198010,33867.1%
199012,66122.5%
200014,87217.5%
201017,14815.3%
202017,3581.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[10]

As of the census[11]of 2000, there were 14,872 people, 6,807 households, and 3,185 families living in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile (6/km2). There were 10,096 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.33% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.37% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Of the population, 6.54% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,807 households, out of which 21.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.70% were married couples living together, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.20% were non-families. Of all households, 35.80% were made up of individuals, and 3.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 16.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 38.30% from 25 to 44, 30.50% from 45 to 64, and 6.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $59,375, and the median income for a family was $75,048. Males had a median income of $40,672 versus $33,896 for females. The per capita income for the county was $40,811. About 3.00% of families and 6.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.40% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.

Life expectancy[]

According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, residents of Pitkin County had a 2014 life expectancy of 86.52 years, the second-longest in the nation.[12] Both men and women live longer in Pitkin County than nearly every other county in the United States. The life expectancy at birth is 85.2 years for men and 88.0 years for women.[13] Two contiguous counties, Summit and Eagle counties, rank first and third in the nation respectively in life expectancy.

Factors contributing to the high life expectancy in Pitkin County are "high education, high income, high access to medical care, the people are physically active, obesity is lower than anywhere else—so you’re doing it right”, said Ali Mokdad, one of the study's co-authors.[14]

In June 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked the county with the nation's fourth-best life expectancy, at 93.4 years.[15]

Communities[]

City[]

  • Aspen

Towns[]

Census-designated places[]

Other unincorporated communities[]

Politics[]

In its early history, Pitkin County favored the Democratic Party, for which it voted in every election between 1896 and 1916, one of the few Western counties to support Alton B. Parker in 1904. After that, it followed the trends of the nation until being narrowly carried by losing candidate Thomas E. Dewey in 1944. Pitkin subsequently remained Republican-leaning until the growing ski resort community drew its residents to the liberal George McGovern – rejected by a majority of the electorates of all but 129 other counties – in 1972. Like many ski destination counties, since the 1980s, Pitkin has turned powerfully Democratic. The last Republican to carry the county was Ronald Reagan in 1984, and George H. W. Bush in the following election is the last Republican to gain a third of the county's vote.

In this modern era, Pitkin has also frequently been one of the leading counties for third-party candidates, being the fourth-best county for Eugene McCarthy in 1976,[16] and the third-best for John B. Anderson in 1980.[17]

Presidential elections results

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "QuickFacts: Colorado, United States". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "America's Richest States". Fox Business. September 16, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Household Income by County in the United States". Statistical Atlas. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  10. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  12. ^ Dwyer-Lindgren, Laura (May 8, 2017). "Inequalities in Life Expectancy Among US Counties, 1980 to 2014". JAMA Internal Medicine. 177 (7): 1003–1011. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.0918. PMC 5543324. PMID 28492829.
  13. ^ "County Profile: Pitkin County Colorado," http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/county_profiles/US/2015/County_Report_Pitkin_County_Colorado.pdf, accessed 2 Aug 2017
  14. ^ Achenbach, Joel, "U.S. life expectancy varies more than 20 years from county to county," Washington Post, May 8, 2017
  15. ^ Cirruzzo, Chelsea (June 30, 2021). "The 25 Counties With the Longest Life Expectancy". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  16. ^ Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 1976 Presidential Election Statistics
  17. ^ Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 1980 Presidential Election Statistics
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 26, 2017.

External links[]

Coordinates: 39°13′N 106°55′W / 39.22°N 106.92°W / 39.22; -106.92

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