Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, FEMA National Risk Index, OpenFEMA NFIP · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Counties in Colorado ranked

7.0%of income goes to home energy in Costilla County, the highest of 64 Colorado counties

Denver County is lowest at 1.1%, a gap of 6.0 times. The median Colorado county sits at 3.3%, against 3.3% for the median U.S. county. Source for Colorado: DOE LEAD 2022.

Colorado county map

Colorado counties, shaded by quintile of the selected measureKit Carson County: 4.2%Rio Grande County: 3.7%Mineral County: 4.5%Washington County: 3.7%Yuma County: 3.5%Montrose County: 3.0%Adams County: 1.8%Arapahoe County: 1.5%Gilpin County: 2.6%Lincoln County: 3.6%Phillips County: 3.9%Elbert County: 2.5%Alamosa County: 3.1%Moffat County: 3.2%Teller County: 3.5%Morgan County: 2.2%Crowley County: 4.8%Delta County: 3.7%Lake County: 2.3%Prowers County: 5.7%Larimer County: 1.6%Chaffee County: 3.3%Ouray County: 3.0%Montezuma County: 3.7%Garfield County: 2.4%Baca County: 4.6%Jackson County: 4.3%Fremont County: 3.6%Hinsdale County: 4.1%Costilla County: 7.0%Conejos County: 5.2%La Plata County: 2.6%Archuleta County: 3.4%Cheyenne County: 4.0%Jefferson County: 1.4%Clear Creek County: 2.3%Summit County: 1.6%Pitkin County: 2.1%San Juan County: 3.9%San Miguel County: 2.1%Sedgwick County: 3.7%Bent County: 5.8%Denver County: 1.1%Weld County: 1.9%Boulder County: 1.3%Routt County: 2.4%Eagle County: 1.9%Gunnison County: 2.8%Rio Blanco County: 3.1%Pueblo County: 2.9%Las Animas County: 4.2%Park County: 3.4%Douglas County: 1.5%Dolores County: 3.8%Grand County: 2.5%Mesa County: 2.2%Custer County: 4.8%Broomfield County: 1.2%Huerfano County: 4.9%El Paso County: 2.1%Kiowa County: 4.8%Saguache County: 5.4%Logan County: 3.3%Otero County: 5.1%
  • 1.1% to 2.1%
  • 2.1% to 3.0%
  • 3.0% to 3.6%
  • 3.6% to 4.3%
  • 4.3% to 7.0%

Colorado counties, darker = higher. Click one for its page.

Highest energy burden in Colorado

Costilla County leads Colorado on burden at 7.0% of income and Bent County follows at 5.8%. For lower-income homes the top is Costilla County: 16.3% of income, against 9.2% in the median Colorado county.

home energy burden, % of income, top 10 Colorado counties

  • Costilla County7.0
  • Bent County5.8
  • Prowers County5.7
  • Saguache County5.4
  • Conejos County5.2
  • Otero County5.1
  • Huerfano County4.9
  • Kiowa County4.8
  • Crowley County4.8
  • Custer County4.8
  • Colorado median county3.3
Colorado counties with the lowest home energy burden
Lowest burden in ColoradoShare of income (CO)Residents (CO)
Denver County1.1%713,734
Broomfield County1.2%75,110
Boulder County1.3%328,317
Jefferson County1.4%579,715
Arapahoe County1.5%655,709

Storm reports and FEMA risk in Colorado

NOAA logged 736 damaging-wind, tornado, tropical, ice, winter and heat reports in Huerfano County from 2015 to 2025, 10,596 for every 100,000 residents: the most in Colorado. FEMA scores Denver County highest at 95.2 (relatively high). In Colorado these are weather reports and an index, not outage counts.

Colorado top 5: Storm reports per 100,000 residents
Top 5 in Coloradoreports 2015-2025 (CO)Residents (CO)Rank (CO)
Huerfano County10,5966,9461st
Custer County8,7525,0732nd
Rio Blanco County5,1706,5183rd
San Miguel County4,4738,0264th
Saguache County3,9166,5115th
Colorado top 5: FEMA risk score
Top 5 in Coloradoscore 0-100 (CO)Residents (CO)Rank (CO)
Denver County95.2713,7341st
Jefferson County94.9579,7152nd
El Paso County94.1736,0083rd
Arapahoe County93.8655,7094th
Adams County91.2524,4085th

Flood claims and flood insurance in Colorado

Otero County has the most NFIP flood claims per 1,000 homes in Colorado: 2.0 from 2015 to 2025, against 0.4 in the median Colorado county. San Miguel County has the highest share of homes with flood insurance (2.7%, median county 0.4%). Claims are a record of insured losses, not outage counts.

Colorado top 5: Flood claims per 1,000 homes
Top 5 in Coloradoclaims 2015-2025 (CO)Residents (CO)Rank (CO)
Otero County2.018,4601st
La Plata County1.256,0882nd
El Paso County1.1736,0083rd
Montezuma County0.926,2044th
Archuleta County0.813,7305th
Colorado top 5: Flood insurance penetration
Top 5 in Colorado% of homes insured (CO)Residents (CO)Rank (CO)
San Miguel County2.7%8,0261st
Boulder County2.3%328,3172nd
Logan County1.9%21,0673rd
Pitkin County1.6%17,1194th
Rio Grande County1.5%11,3945th

FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP, as of 8 Sep 2026. Flood claims by county.

Outliers: Colorado counties far from the state median

10 county-measure pairs sit 3 or more scaled median-absolute-deviation units from the Colorado median. Most extreme: Huerfano County, storm reports per 100,000 residents 10,596 against a median of 961.

Colorado outliers by deviation from the state median
CountyMeasureValueColorado medianDeviations
Huerfano CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents10,596961+8.8
San Miguel CountyFlood insurance penetration2.7%0.4%+7.3
Custer CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents8,752961+7.1
Boulder CountyFlood insurance penetration2.3%0.4%+6.1
Otero CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes2.00.4+6.1
Logan CountyFlood insurance penetration1.9%0.4%+4.8
Pitkin CountyFlood insurance penetration1.6%0.4%+3.9
Rio Blanco CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents5,170961+3.8
Rio Grande CountyFlood insurance penetration1.5%0.4%+3.6
Clear Creek CountyFlood insurance penetration1.4%0.4%+3.4

Old homes, electric heat and utilities in Colorado

Sedgwick County has the oldest stock: 80% of homes date from before 1980. Electric heat is most common in Summit County at 39% of homes, and El Paso County lists 7 utilities, the most in Colorado.

Colorado top 5: Homes built before 1980
Top 5 in Colorado% of homes (CO)Residents (CO)Rank (CO)
Sedgwick County80%2,3461st
Otero County76%18,4602nd
Kiowa County76%1,3563rd
Bent County76%5,5244th
Logan County75%21,0675th
Colorado top 5: Homes heated by electricity
Top 5 in Colorado% of homes (CO)Residents (CO)Rank (CO)
Summit County39%30,8571st
Pitkin County38%17,1192nd
Denver County35%713,7343rd
Gunnison County33%17,1584th
Arapahoe County31%655,7095th

Find your Colorado county

  • Pick a Colorado county to see its ranks.

All 64 Colorado counties, sortable

64 Colorado counties, all measures
Adams County524,4081.8%4.7%3391.237%27%40.20.2%171
Alamosa County16,5153.1%7.4%1,14440.445%26%2no data0.6%189
Arapahoe County655,7091.5%4.8%3193.839%31%40.40.3%201
Archuleta County13,7303.4%9.2%1,36934.521%14%20.80.9%188
Baca County3,4604.6%11.0%under 5,000 residents23.272%9%3no datano data144
Bent County5,5245.8%11.4%7425.676%13%2no data0.1%41
Boulder County328,3171.3%5.5%10090.742%24%40.62.3%327
Broomfield County75,1101.2%4.3%19734.722%27%10.40.3%148
Chaffee County19,8763.3%8.7%1,22351.136%20%2no data0.7%243
Cheyenne County1,7324.0%11.5%under 5,000 residents3.070%12%3no datano data210
Clear Creek County9,3582.3%8.2%1,77446.757%15%2no data1.4%166
Conejos County7,5365.2%11.6%2,29622.952%12%2no data0.2%173
Costilla County3,5717.0%16.3%under 5,000 residents6.642%12%3no data0.4%332
Crowley County5,7344.8%9.8%5933.966%9%4no datano data34
Custer County5,0734.8%12.1%8,7523.931%10%3no datano data444
Delta County31,3533.7%10.6%93851.352%17%3no data0.2%294
Denver County713,7341.1%4.5%1695.257%35%10.40.4%111
Dolores County2,3853.8%12.7%under 5,000 residents11.353%16%3no data0.3%218
Douglas County368,2831.5%6.9%5788.77%22%30.30.3%211
Eagle County55,3741.9%7.8%37776.223%30%30.41.1%209
El Paso County736,0082.1%6.1%8294.136%25%71.10.5%602
Elbert County27,1522.5%13.0%61936.619%9%3no data0.2%168
Fremont County49,3943.6%9.0%1,00668.650%13%40.40.9%497
Garfield County62,0342.4%7.7%86264.529%23%50.20.5%535
Gilpin County5,8772.6%14.1%2,8086.447%17%2no data0.3%165
Grand County15,7942.5%9.2%1,39950.231%29%3no data0.2%221
Gunnison County17,1582.8%9.5%1,25945.038%33%3no data1.0%216
Hinsdale County9394.1%14.7%under 5,000 residents1.043%12%3no data0.7%217
Huerfano County6,9464.9%11.4%10,59624.255%9%2no data0.9%736
Jackson County1,4224.3%11.2%under 5,000 residents11.855%29%1no datano data118
Jefferson County579,7151.4%5.2%4594.951%23%30.40.6%262
Kiowa County1,3564.8%11.4%under 5,000 residents3.876%11%4no datano data77
Kit Carson County7,0154.2%10.5%3,83532.573%17%1no datano data269
La Plata County56,0882.6%8.6%40175.233%19%21.21.3%225
Lake County7,4112.3%9.2%2,1325.763%22%1no data0.2%158
Larimer County363,5611.6%5.4%6490.133%23%60.20.6%233
Las Animas County14,3924.2%10.9%2,41123.660%16%4no data0.1%347
Lincoln County5,5613.6%11.5%2,7697.562%19%3no data0.2%154
Logan County21,0673.3%8.2%76958.775%24%40.61.9%162
Mesa County157,3162.2%5.6%27775.141%17%40.10.3%436
Mineral County7994.5%12.0%under 5,000 residents5.436%19%3no datano data167
Moffat County13,2583.2%9.0%2,92712.158%19%4no data0.3%388
Montezuma County26,2043.7%9.0%77947.642%16%20.90.4%204
Montrose County43,2723.0%8.1%74449.036%16%3no data0.4%322
Morgan County29,1862.2%5.3%37351.960%29%40.70.7%109
Otero County18,4605.1%11.2%60150.776%12%42.00.4%111
Ouray County5,0243.0%9.8%2,86617.731%15%3no data0.7%144
Park County17,7393.4%10.8%1,00922.234%16%2no data0.2%179
Phillips County4,4913.9%10.4%under 5,000 residents12.370%24%1no data0.2%103
Pitkin County17,1192.1%10.2%67854.141%38%2no data1.6%116
Prowers County11,9315.7%12.9%1,37548.658%12%3no data0.3%164
Pueblo County168,7262.9%7.4%25082.559%17%50.30.2%422
Rio Blanco County6,5183.1%8.0%5,17037.651%16%4no data0.4%337
Rio Grande County11,3943.7%9.7%2,30845.849%26%2no data1.5%263
Routt County24,9902.4%9.3%1,37333.432%30%3no data1.1%343
Saguache County6,5115.4%13.0%3,91614.243%15%2no data0.1%255
San Juan County6903.9%13.9%under 5,000 residents10.758%15%2no datano data151
San Miguel County8,0262.1%8.0%4,47319.123%29%3no data2.7%359
Sedgwick County2,3463.7%8.8%under 5,000 residents6.580%16%1no data0.1%74
Summit County30,8571.6%5.5%32460.233%39%20.30.9%100
Teller County24,7743.5%11.4%98538.831%13%4no data0.3%244
Washington County4,8393.7%9.1%under 5,000 residents12.072%24%5no data0.0%218
Weld County340,7111.9%5.8%8389.231%17%70.20.3%284
Yuma County9,9213.5%8.9%2,76236.869%21%3no data0.1%274

Download CSV, 64 rows

Colorado: click a header to sort. Per-capita storm rates start at 5,000 residents.

Sources

Colorado sources with periods and retrieval dates
SourcePeriodRetrieved
DOE LEAD (CO)20222 Oct 2026
FEMA NRI (CO)Dec 20252 Oct 2026
NOAA Storm Events (CO)2015 to 20252 Oct 2026
Census ACS (CO)2019 to 20232 Oct 2026
EIA-861 (CO)20241 Oct 2026

Colorado LEAD figures are group estimates, not bills. Methodology.

Keep going

Other states: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois.

Questions

Which Colorado county has the highest home energy burden?

Costilla County: 7.0% of income, against 3.3% for the median Colorado county (DOE LEAD 2022).

Which Colorado county has the lowest energy burden?

Denver County at 1.1% of income.

How does Colorado compare with the whole country?

The median Colorado county has a burden of 3.3% and the median U.S. county 3.3%, across 64 Colorado counties and 3,053 U.S. counties with data.

Where do storms cause the most trouble in Colorado?

Huerfano County has the most NOAA storm reports per 100,000 residents: 10,596 between 2015 and 2025.

Which Colorado county has the highest FEMA risk score?

Denver County: 95.2, rated relatively high by FEMA (Dec 2025).

Where are the oldest homes in Colorado?

Sedgwick County: 80% of homes were built before 1980; the median Colorado county is at 46% (Census ACS 2023).

Which Colorado county relies most on electric heat?

Summit County: 39% of homes heat with electricity, against 17% in the median county.

Which Colorado county has the most flood claims per home?

Otero County: 2.0 NFIP claims per 1,000 homes from 2015 to 2025; the median Colorado county has 0.4 (FEMA OpenFEMA).

Are storm reports the same as power outages in Colorado?

No: in Colorado they are weather reports, not outage counts.

Where can Colorado households get help with bills?

See the Colorado help page. Highest burden: Costilla County.

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7.0% of income goes to home energy in Costilla County, the highest of 64 Colorado counties