Otero County, Colorado
County seat: La Junta · Population 17,683 (2025) · 1,262 sq mi
Otero County is the 28th most populous of Colorado's 64 counties, with 17,683 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is La Junta. It is part of the Region 6: Southern Eastern Plains region, one of the 14 Planning and Management Regions of Colorado. The map shows its 6 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Otero County facts
- County seat
- La Junta
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 17,683 −5.4% since 2020
- Land area
- 1,262 sq mi 37th largest of 64
- Water area
- 8 sq mi
- Population density
- 14 per sq mi
- Established
- 1889
- Named after
- Miguel Antonio Otero American writer and politician (1859–1944)
- Largest city
- La Junta 6,864
- Median household income
- $54,037
- Cities and towns
- 6 plus 2 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 7
- Time zone
- Mountain
- FIPS code
- 08089
Cities and towns in Otero County
Otero County has 6 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Otero County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Junta (county seat) | City | 6,864 | |
| Rocky Ford | City | 3,752 | |
| Fowler | Town | 1,171 | |
| Swink | Town | 579 | |
| Manzanola | Town | 319 | |
| Cheraw | Town | 223 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| North La Junta | 535 | |
| La Junta Gardens | 112 |
ZIP codes in Otero County
7 ZIP codes reach into Otero County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 81030
- 81039 also Pueblo and Crowley counties
- 81050 also Bent County
- 81058 also Crowley County
- 81059 also Las Animas County
- 81067
- 81077
Population of Otero County, 2020–2025
Otero County shrank by 1,002 people (−5.4%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 512 more deaths than births and a net loss of 508 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 18,659 |
| 2021 | 18,517 |
| 2022 | 18,244 |
| 2023 | 18,117 |
| 2024 | 17,888 |
| 2025 | 17,683 |
Neighboring counties
- Crowley County north · 5,677 people
- Bent County east · 5,716 people
- Las Animas County southwest · 14,391 people
- Pueblo County northwest · 169,277 people
- Kiowa County northeast · 1,412 people
Printable Otero County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (68 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (66 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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