Skip to content
Beacon CRE

San Miguel County, CO: population growth, jobs and income

San Miguel County lost 65 residents between 2024 and 2025 (−0.8%).

San Miguel County had an estimated 7,753 residents in 2025, down 3.7% (300 fewer people) since 2020. That is slower than Colorado as a whole (+3.9%), and the 54th fastest growth of 61 counties in Colorado.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the San Miguel County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for San Miguel County, ranked against Colorado and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$1,149/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes30.8%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months462025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Colorado? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 103 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 5,725 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +14.2% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 3.8% in 2025, 1.0 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 51 new homes in 2025, or 6.6 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $79,024 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +18.1% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 2,788th.

Get San Miguel County’s next numbers by email

Email me when San Miguel County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for San Miguel County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

San Miguel County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
20257,753−65
20247,818−56
20237,874−135
20228,009−77
20218,086+33
20208,053–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in San Miguel County

San Miguel County lost 300 people since 2020; the biggest drag was domestic migration (−484).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths+27+103
International migrationfrom and to other countries+10+72
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties−103−484
Census adjustmentbalancing residual+1+9
Total change−65−300

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn ColoradoAmong U.S. counties
Population growth54th of 612,788th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents56th of 612,963rd of 3,108
Private-sector job growth13th of 61401st of 3,092
Median household income28th of 61621st of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate31st of 611,253rd of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents18th of 61394th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for San Miguel County, CO as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Montrose County and San Juan County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the San Miguel County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

San Miguel County lost population faster than all 4 of its neighbouring counties with a comparable figure (−3.7%, 2020–25).

Only Ouray County had a higher median household income (2020–24) among its 5 neighbouring counties; San Miguel County's was $79,024.

San Miguel County, CO and its 5 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
San Miguel County, CO This county7,753−3.7%−13.36.6$79,024
Dolores County, CO2,466+5.8%10.50.0$64,907
Montrose County, CO44,591+4.1%0.36.3$72,120
Ouray County, CO5,265+7.9%17.714.4$91,020
San Juan County, CO813–––$77,824
San Juan County, UT14,542+0.1%−1.43.8$64,481

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 64 Colorado counties · Every state

Questions

Is San Miguel County growing?

No. Its population fell 3.7% between 2020 and 2025, about 300 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates). Colorado as a whole changed +3.9% over the same years. That ranks 54th of 61 counties in Colorado for population growth.

How many people moved to San Miguel County?

On net, none in 2025: about 103 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in San Miguel County?

It averaged 3.8% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of San Miguel County?

About 7,753 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in San Miguel County?

Private employers there had 5,725 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +14.2% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Colorado

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Colorado county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

San Miguel County data alerts

Email me when San Miguel County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for San Miguel County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.