Rio Grande County, Colorado
County seat: Del Norte · Population 11,087 (2025) · 912 sq mi
Rio Grande County is the 37th most populous of Colorado's 64 counties, with 11,087 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Del Norte. It is part of the Region 8: San Luis Valley region, one of the 14 Planning and Management Regions of Colorado. The map shows its 4 cities and towns and the 5 neighboring counties.
Rio Grande County facts
- County seat
- Del Norte
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 11,087 −3.9% since 2020
- Land area
- 912 sq mi 45th largest of 64
- Water area
- 0 sq mi
- Population density
- 12 per sq mi
- Established
- 1874
- Named after
- Rio Grande river originating in Colorado, flowing south through New Mexico, and forming part of the US-Mexico border along Texas until emptying into the Gulf of Mexico
- Largest city
- Monte Vista 4,005
- Median household income
- $64,411
- Cities and towns
- 4 plus 2 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 4
- Time zone
- Mountain
- FIPS code
- 08105
Cities and towns in Rio Grande County
Rio Grande County has 4 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Rio Grande County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Vista | City | 4,005 | |
| Del Norte (county seat) | Town | 1,396 | |
| South Fork | Town | 506 | |
| Center | Town | 43 | Saguache County |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Gerrard | 332 | |
| Alpine | 75 |
ZIP codes in Rio Grande County
4 ZIP codes reach into Rio Grande County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 81125 also Saguache and Alamosa counties
- 81132 also Saguache County
- 81144 also Alamosa County
- 81154 also Mineral County
Population of Rio Grande County, 2020–2025
Rio Grande County shrank by 452 people (−3.9%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 186 more deaths than births and a net loss of 268 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 11,538 |
| 2021 | 11,403 |
| 2022 | 11,315 |
| 2023 | 11,196 |
| 2024 | 11,143 |
| 2025 | 11,087 |
Neighboring counties
- Saguache County north · 6,732 people
- Conejos County southeast · 7,529 people
- Mineral County west · 910 people
- Alamosa County east · 16,688 people
- Archuleta County southwest · 14,306 people
Printable Rio Grande 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) (63 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (53 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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