ALAMOSA — Recently, the San Luis Valley Resource Development Group (SLVRDG) and the San Luis Valley Council of Governments (SLVCOG) released the 2025 San Luis Valley Statistical Profile, an in-depth report examining the region’s demographic, economic, and geographic conditions. 

The profile, which includes all six counties in the Valley, provides comprehensive data to support planning, policymaking, and economic development throughout the region. This year’s edition includes updated population projections, income trends, housing data, workforce insights, and comparative statewide statistics. 

A collection of “key highlights” was assembled by those most familiar with the data, including what the data says and how that information can be applied. 

New in the 2025 report, data on veterans including veteran population size (2501 in the Valley with 2350 male veterans and 151 female), disability status (48.5% of the veteran population has some kind of disability), employment, and service demographics. 

As the 2025 report also shows, the total number of people living in the Valley increased by just 169 people from 2023 with a total population of 46,776. The increase in population was mainly in Alamosa and Mineral Counties.  

When it comes to housing, 25.2% of the population in the region are affected by severe housing shortages. At the same time, regional housing prices are well below the state averages. 

In terms of median (average) income, the Valley encompasses some of the poorer counties in the state, which is evident in the median household income of $50,680. Looking at individual counties, Alamosa’s median household income is $51,455, coming in fourth behind Mineral - $52,455, Saguache - $54,283, and Rio Grande - $62,166. Conejos - $47,209 and Costilla - $36,519 are on the lower income end of the scale. 

The $50,680 median household income across the Valley trails the Colorado average of $92,470 by almost half. 

The average value of owner-occupied housing also backs up how regional housing is well below state averages. In Alamosa, the average value of owner-occupied housing is $218,000; in Rio Grande, the average value is $215,400; Saguache, $200,000; Costilla, $171,300; Conejos, $162,100 but topping them all is Mineral County where the average value of owner-occupied housing is $413,000. Averaged together, the value of owner-occupied housing in the Valley is $230,000 – not even half of the average of $502,000 across Colorado. 

In terms of labor and wages, agriculture, government, and tourism remain the Valley’s primary employment sectors.  

The average weekly wage across all industries is $1,072 (or $55,744 per year), significantly below the Colorado average of $1,643 (of $85,436 per year). 

In the Valley, men, on an average, continue to earn more than women with $54,626 earned per year compared to $42,745 respectively. 

Total employment in the region stands at 24,925 workers, with sector highlights including agribusiness: 5,029 jobs; tourism: 2,088 jobs; government: 1,875 jobs; manufacturing: 11 jobs, and mining: 27 jobs. 

Looking forward, while many smaller towns across the state have fewer numbers of kids under the age of 18 than other age groups, most counties across the Valley have between one in four and one in five residents under the age of 18. In Alamosa specifically, 23.7% of residents are under 18 years old.  The percentages drop among people 18 – 24 years old, perhaps reflecting the numbers of people who leave the area after graduating from high school or college. But those numbers then increase for ages 25 – 44 with that age group making up 25.3% in Alamosa and 23.8% averaged across the entire San Luis Valley. 

As decisions are made at the federal level about the future of public lands in states like Colorado and places like the San Luis Valley, a comparison of the Valley to other geographic areas and a breakdown of ownership is as follows. 

The Valley encompasses 8,192 square miles, slightly smaller than New Hampshire and larger than Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, Connecticut and much larger than Rhode Island and Delaware.  

There are 5,247,000 acres in the Valley with 55.7% under federal ownership. Of that, 45.9% is Forest Service land, 11.8% Bureau of Land Management, 6.3% “other” and 3.4% under state ownership. The remaining acreage – 41.3% - is privately owned. 

What can be concluded from those numbers or what predictions can be made? The Valley Courier leaves that up to the experts at SLVRDG and SLVCOG. This reporting just provides an example of all that can be found in the report. Those interested in more information are strongly encouraged to go to www.slvdrg.org/research-data where more comprehensive information is available, and the report can be viewed in its entirety.