Rio Grande County, Colorado Eviction Risk: Moderate

Rio Grande County sits in the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado, a high-altitude agricultural basin where roughly 6,925 residents spread across five incorporated communities. The county carries a Moderate eviction risk score of 4.6/10 on the Eviction Risk Map scale and ranks 15th out of 64 Colorado counties - placing it in the higher-risk third of the state. Fourteen Colorado counties present greater risk to landlords; the remaining 49 are measurably less complex to operate in. For a small rural county, that standing reflects a combination of demographics, household finances, and a strengthened state legal framework that landlords need to understand before filing anything.

The financial profile here creates real exposure. Average rent runs $758 per month, and renters spend an average of 24.3% of income on housing - a burden level that leaves little cushion when seasonal employment dips or farm wages stall. 22.1% of residents live below the poverty line, one of the higher rates among rural Colorado counties, and 37.6% of households rent rather than own. That renter share is meaningful: in a county of under 7,000 people, a significant portion of the local economy runs through landlord-tenant relationships. When household budgets are thin, the path from late payment to formal eviction proceedings is shorter - and more costly on both sides.

Monte Vista is the county seat and by far the largest community, with a population of approximately 4,141 and the highest eviction risk score in the county at 4.7/10. Del Norte follows at 1,653 residents and a score of 4.5/10. South Fork, a smaller tourism-oriented community, scores 4.3/10 with 724 residents, while Gerrard and Alpine round out the county at lower risk levels. The concentration of risk in Monte Vista and Del Norte makes sense given that those two towns hold the majority of the county's rental housing stock. Landlords operating in Monte Vista should pay particular attention to Colorado's procedural requirements: nonpayment cases require a 10-day notice under C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(d), material lease violations also carry a 10-day cure window under C.R.S. 13-40-104(1)(e), and no-fault terminations - including owner move-in and renovation scenarios - now require a 90-day notice under HB24-1098. Just cause is required statewide for eviction, which eliminates at-will termination as a strategy. Court filing fees run $105 to $200, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $200, and contested cases routinely take 60 to 120 days to resolve - with attorney costs ranging from $750 to $3,500 depending on complexity. The Colorado Civil Rights Division enforces fair housing rules that include source-of-income protections, meaning landlords cannot refuse to rent to voucher holders. That protection is active statewide and applies in Rio Grande County.

Rio Grande County's Moderate score reflects the intersection of a high poverty rate, a substantial renter population with limited income flexibility, and Colorado eviction laws's increasingly tenant-protective legal framework - all compressing landlord options when nonpayment or lease disputes arise.