Pueblo County is a county in Colorado, United States, along the Arkansas River in the southeastern part of the state. It had a population of 168,162 at the 2020 census and covers 2,398 square miles (6,210 km2) of land and water, centred near 38°09′N 104°31′W.
Pueblo is the county seat and its postal code is 81003. The county holds one city, two towns, seven census-designated places, and a scatter of unincorporated communities. It sits in the Mountain time zone and carries FIPS code 08101.
Towns & Villages in Pueblo County
Pueblo County has one incorporated city (also the seat), two incorporated towns, seven census-designated places (CDPs — populated areas the Census Bureau tracks but that have no town government), and a longer list of unincorporated place names scattered across the Arkansas Valley and the foothills to the west and south.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo | City · seat | 111,876 | 81003 |
| Pueblo West | CDP | 34,509 | 81007 |
| Boone | Town | — | 81025 |
| Rye | Town | — | 81069 |
| Colorado City | CDP | — | 81019 |
| Avondale | CDP | — | 81022 |
| Beulah Valley | CDP | — | 81023 |
| Blende | CDP | — | — |
| Vineland | CDP | — | — |
| Salt Creek | CDP | — | — |
| Beulah | Unincorp. | — | 81023 |
| Baxter | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Devine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nepesta | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Avondale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stem Beach | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fort Reynolds | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goodnight | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Goodpasture | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greenhorn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hobson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Saint Charles | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stone City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Swallows | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wild Horse | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Crest | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
The old page’s list also carried “Bragdon,” “Bronquist,” “Burnt Mill,” “Cedarwood,” “Cuerna Verde Park,” “Eden,” “Fearnowville,” “Hamlet,” “Lombard Village,” “Nyberg,” “Rock Crossing,” and “Whiterock.” These do not appear in any current gazetteer entry the editor could verify against, so they have been dropped rather than republished as fact; see Notes.
Geography
Pueblo County spans the transition from the shortgrass High Plains in its eastern half to the foothills of the Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo range in the west, where Lake Pueblo and the Arkansas River corridor form the county’s main water features. The San Isabel National Forest reaches into the county’s southwestern corner.
Pueblo County borders Fremont County to the northwest, Custer County to the west, Huerfano County to the southwest, Las Animas County to the south, Otero County and Crowley County to the east, and El Paso County to the north (that neighbor’s page on this site currently covers a different state’s county of the same name, so it is named here without a link).
Demographics
Pueblo County counted 168,162 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 70 people per square mile spread mostly along the Arkansas Valley. The city of Pueblo (111,876) and the Pueblo West CDP (34,509) together hold roughly nine in ten county residents. Median household income in the county has historically run below the Colorado median of $92,911; the county’s own current figure was not independently verifiable for this profile and is omitted rather than guessed.
Economy & Local Life
Steel manufacturing built modern Pueblo — the Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel mill (formerly CF&I) has operated south of downtown since the 1880s and remains a major employer. Health care, education, and government round out the base, with Parkview Medical Center and Colorado State University Pueblo both headquartered in the city. The Colorado State Fair runs each August in Pueblo, the largest annual event in the county.
History
Pueblo County was created on November 1, 1861, one of Colorado Territory’s original 17 counties. Its name comes from the old settlement of Pueblo, itself named from the Spanish word for “town” or “village.” The county seat grew around a fur-trading post at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek and later became a 19th-century steel and rail hub, drawing waves of Mexican, Italian, and Eastern European immigrant labor whose neighborhoods still shape the city’s south side.
Getting There
Interstate 25 runs north–south through the county via Pueblo and Colorado City; U.S. Routes 50, 85, and 87 cross it as well. Pueblo Memorial Airport offers commercial service; Colorado Springs Airport, the nearest larger hub, is about 45 miles north.
- Colorado Springs — 40 miles north
- Cañon City — 35 miles northwest
- Walsenburg — 45 miles south
- Denver — 100 miles north
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pueblo County?
It is in southeastern Colorado along the Arkansas River, about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs.
What is the population of Pueblo County?
168,162 at the 2020 census.
How big is Pueblo County?
2,398 square miles (6,210 km2), of which 2,386 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Pueblo County?
Pueblo, the county’s only city and largest community.
How many towns are in Pueblo County?
One city, two incorporated towns (Boone and Rye), seven CDPs, and a number of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Pueblo County?
Pueblo itself uses several ZIPs centered on 81003; Pueblo West uses 81007, Boone 81025, Rye 81069, Colorado City 81019, and Avondale 81022.
Where did the name Pueblo County come from?
From the old city of Pueblo, whose own name is the Spanish word for “town” or “village.”
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Colorado.