Montrose County, Colorado

Montrose County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,679.^[2] The county seat is Montrose,^[3] for which the county is named.

Montrose County
County
Montrose County Courthouse in Montrose
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38.41°N 108.27°W / 38.41; -108.27
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Founded	February 11, 1883
Named after	City of Montrose
Seat	Montrose
Largest city	Montrose
Area
• Total	2,243 sq mi (5,810 km2)
• Land	2,241 sq mi (5,800 km2)
• Water	1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.08%
Population  (2020)
• Total	42,679
• Estimate  (2024)[1]	44,806
• Density	19/sq mi (7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.montrosecounty.net

Montrose County comprises the Montrose, CO, Micropolitan Statistical Area.^[4][5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,243 square miles (5,810 km²), of which 2,241 square miles (5,800 km²) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) (0.08%) is water.^[6]

Adjacent counties

• Mesa County - north
• Delta County - northeast
• Gunnison County - east
• Ouray County - southeast
• San Miguel County - south
• San Juan County, Utah - west

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 50
• U.S. Highway 550
• State Highway 90
• State Highway 92
• State Highway 141
• State Highway 145
• State Highway 348

National protected areas

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness
• Curecanti National Recreation Area (part)
• Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area (part)
• Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (part)
• Gunnison Gorge Wilderness
• Gunnison National Forest (part)
• Manti-La Sal National Forest (part)
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Uncompahgre National Forest (part)

River

• Dolores River (part)
• Uncompahgre River (part)
• San Miguel River (part)
• Gunnison River (part)

Trails and byways

• Great Parks Bicycle Route
• Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway
• West Elk Loop Scenic Byway
• Western Express Bicycle Route

Historical site

• Hanging Flume
• Uravan, Colorado

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	3,980		—
1900	4,535		13.9%
1910	10,291		126.9%
1920	11,852		15.2%
1930	11,742		−0.9%
1940	15,418		31.3%
1950	15,220		−1.3%
1960	18,286		20.1%
1970	18,366		0.4%
1980	24,352		32.6%
1990	24,423		0.3%
2000	33,432		36.9%
2010	41,276		23.5%
2020	42,679		3.4%
2024 (est.)	44,806	[7]	5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[2]

As of the census^[12] of 2010, there were 41,276 people, 16,484 households, and 11,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile (6.9 people/km²). There were 18,250 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.70% White, 0.40% Black or African American, 1.10% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 8.70% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. 19.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,484 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.

The county population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 28.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

Also from the census^[13] of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $46,058, and the median income for a family was $52,152. Males had a median income of $41,301 versus $31,659 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,413. About 7.30% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Montrose is a staunch Republican county. It has not been won by a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon Johnson‘s 1964 landslide – indeed since then, no Democrat has managed forty percent of the county's vote. The county has leaned Republican ever since 1920; although before this, it did tend to vote Democratic between 1896 and 1916 except during the landslide loss of Alton B. Parker in 1904.

United States presidential election results for Montrose County, Colorado^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	16,704	65.18%	8,354	32.60%	568	2.22%
2020	16,770	67.29%	7,687	30.84%	465	1.87%
2016	14,382	67.88%	5,466	25.80%	1,338	6.32%
2012	13,552	67.32%	6,138	30.49%	440	2.19%
2008	12,199	63.69%	6,495	33.91%	459	2.40%
2004	11,218	69.17%	4,776	29.45%	225	1.39%
2000	9,266	65.18%	4,041	28.43%	908	6.39%
1996	6,730	54.99%	4,019	32.84%	1,490	12.17%
1992	4,847	41.35%	3,713	31.67%	3,163	26.98%
1988	6,012	60.16%	3,748	37.51%	233	2.33%
1984	7,162	70.40%	2,864	28.15%	147	1.45%
1980	6,685	68.21%	2,232	22.78%	883	9.01%
1976	4,838	58.42%	3,164	38.20%	280	3.38%
1972	4,571	64.75%	1,870	26.49%	618	8.75%
1968	3,547	52.85%	2,394	35.67%	771	11.49%
1964	2,678	39.92%	4,009	59.76%	22	0.33%
1960	4,040	58.34%	2,861	41.31%	24	0.35%
1956	4,054	62.04%	2,461	37.66%	19	0.29%
1952	4,279	67.16%	2,037	31.97%	55	0.86%
1948	2,473	48.34%	2,544	49.73%	99	1.94%
1944	2,952	56.37%	2,258	43.12%	27	0.52%
1940	3,744	54.62%	3,013	43.95%	98	1.43%
1936	2,248	41.44%	2,938	54.16%	239	4.41%
1932	1,992	41.00%	2,516	51.79%	350	7.20%
1928	2,873	67.27%	1,297	30.37%	101	2.36%
1924	2,077	45.82%	1,239	27.33%	1,217	26.85%
1920	2,225	54.83%	1,522	37.51%	311	7.66%
1916	1,315	31.47%	2,571	61.52%	293	7.01%
1912	631	16.82%	1,478	39.39%	1,643	43.79%
1908	1,193	38.71%	1,461	47.40%	428	13.89%
1904	1,306	51.56%	922	36.40%	305	12.04%
1900	658	35.88%	1,038	56.60%	138	7.52%
1896	182	11.64%	1,348	86.19%	34	2.17%
1892	301	34.88%	0	0.00%	562	65.12%
1888	512	55.65%	372	40.43%	36	3.91%
1884	420	62.69%	230	34.33%	20	2.99%

In other offices, Montrose also is strongly Republican. The last Democratic Senatorial candidate it backed was Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who later shifted to the Republican Party, in the 1992 election.^[15] Montrose County did back Constitution Party nominee Tom Tancredo in the 2010 gubernatorial election,^[16] and Bill Ritter did win 46 percent in 2006,^[17] but Roy Romer in 1990 remains the last Democratic candidate for governor to win Montrose County.^[18]

Culture

• Ute Indian Museum

Communities

City

• Montrose

Towns

• Naturita
• Nucla
• Olathe

Census-designated place

• Redvale

Other unincorporated places

• Bedrock
• Cimarron
• Coventry
• Maher
• Mountain View
• Oak Grove
• Paradox
• Pea Green Corner
• Piñon
• Uravan

See also

• Government portal
• History portal
• Mountains portal
• United States portal
• Colorado portal

• Bibliography of Colorado
• Geography of Colorado
• History of Colorado
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Montrose County, Colorado
• Index of Colorado-related articles
• List of Colorado-related lists
  • List of counties in Colorado
  • List of statistical areas in Colorado
• Outline of Colorado

Notes