5,197 people (2024 Census estimate, +6.5% since 2020)
541 square miles of land · 10 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.
5 active community water systems list Ouray County in the area they serve, reporting 3,869 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| OURAY CITY OF groundwater (surface-influenced) · local government · CO0146588 | 1,460 served |
| DALLAS CREEK WC surface water · private · CO0146485 | 1,059 served |
| RIDGWAY TOWN OF surface water · local government · CO0146676 | 1,000 served |
| ELK MEADOWS ESTATES groundwater (surface-influenced) · private · CO0146592 | 230 served |
| DALLAS MEADOWS COMMUNITY ASSOC groundwater · private · CO0246201 | 120 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 7 people were held in Ouray County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2024), or 224 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2019 it was about 10.
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.
2 school districts have their office in Ouray County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $18.9 million — $6.1 million to run schools, about $18,512 per student, plus $12 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6.1 million local (mostly property tax), $7.7 million state, $278,000 federal. Long-term debt: $13.5 million.
Spent $4 million — $3.8 million to run schools, about $21,559 per student, plus $85,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.7 million local (mostly property tax), $1.7 million state, $316,000 federal. Long-term debt: $2 million.
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: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Ouray County about $9.3 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Moderate; social vulnerability: Very Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
39 bridges in Ouray County: 16 in good condition, 22 fair, and 1 poor (2.6%). “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.
| FARM ACCESS TO 550 over COW CREEK AR · built 1938 | 6 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $9.3 million of work in Ouray County in fiscal 2025, about $1,901 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 Ouray 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 Ouray County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Colorado: the state government and every county in Colorado.
Nearby counties: San Juan County (27 mi) · Montrose County (31 mi) · Hinsdale County (32 mi) · San Miguel County (36 mi) · Dolores County (49 mi) · Delta County (49 mi).