17,991 people (2024 Census estimate, −3.6% since 2020)
1,262 square miles of land · 14 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
23 active community water systems list Otero County in the area they serve, reporting 19,329 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| LA JUNTA CITY OF groundwater · local government · CO0145420 | 8,320 served |
| ROCKY FORD CITY OF groundwater · local government · CO0145600 | 4,443 served |
| FOWLER TOWN OF groundwater (surface-influenced) · local government · CO0145210 | 1,169 served |
| BENTS FORT WC buys groundwater · private · CO0145060 | 900 served |
| SWINK TOWN OF groundwater · local government · CO0145720 | 660 served |
| SOUTH SWINK WATER AUTHORITY groundwater · local government · CO0145690 | 622 served |
| EUREKA WC groundwater · private · CO0145150 | 498 served |
| MANZANOLA TOWN OF groundwater · local government · CO0145450 | 497 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 43 people were held in Otero County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2023), or 399 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2018 it was about 59.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
5 school districts have their office in Otero County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $23.6 million — $19.8 million to run schools, about $14,582 per student, plus $2.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.6 million local (mostly property tax), $14.4 million state, $5.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.3 million.
Spent $22.5 million — $10.4 million to run schools, about $16,378 per student, plus $11.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.4 million local (mostly property tax), $16.6 million state, $2.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $6 million.
Spent $5.8 million — $5.1 million to run schools, about $16,296 per student, plus $475,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.5 million local (mostly property tax), $4 million state, $529,000 federal. Long-term debt: $995,000.
Spent $4 million — $3.5 million to run schools, about $15,524 per student, plus $305,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $722,000 local (mostly property tax), $3.4 million state, $237,000 federal.
Spent $4.4 million — $3.2 million to run schools, about $19,663 per student, plus $1.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $596,000 local (mostly property tax), $3.7 million state, $595,000 federal.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Otero County about $11.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
196 bridges in Otero County: 52 in good condition, 128 fair, and 16 poor (8.2%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| THIRD STREET over ANDERSON ARROYO · built 1931 | 3,981 vehicles a day |
| US 50 ML EBND over APISHAPA RIVER · built 1957 | 2,350 vehicles a day |
| SH 109 ML over DRAW · built 1943 | 2,300 vehicles a day |
| COUNTY ROAD 18 over OTERO CANAL · built 1966 | 784 vehicles a day |
| COUNTY ROAD 11 over OTERO CANAL · built 1964 | 244 vehicles a day |
| COUNTY ROAD CC over OTERO CANAL · built 1961 | 161 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $11.6 million of work in Otero County in fiscal 2025, about $619 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ballots mailed to voters: 2026-10-02 to 2026-10-09. Drop boxes open: 2026-10-12. In-person voting at voter centers: 2026-10-19 to 2026-11-03. Last day to register and still get a ballot by mail: 2026-10-26. Last suggested day to mail your ballot back: 2026-10-26. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day to fix a signature problem: 2026-11-12.
Source: Colorado Secretary of State, Oct. 2, 2026 · Colorado Secretary of State, Sept. 23, 2026 · Colorado Secretary of State — Election Day FAQs
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Otero County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Otero County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Colorado: the state government and every county in Colorado.
Nearby counties: Crowley County (29 mi) · Bent County (35 mi) · Las Animas County (43 mi) · Pueblo County (46 mi) · Kiowa County (63 mi) · Huerfano County (69 mi).