City · Bent County, Colorado

Las Animas, Colorado

Las Animas is a city in Bent County, Colorado. It has 2,540 residents. Las Animas, Colorado has a quality-of-life score of 6 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,716 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Colorado it ranks #220 of 220 cities and towns. It ranks best on drug overdose deaths (low), preventable hospital stays (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on dental care shortage (high), restaurants and bars (low) and mental health care shortage (high).

6Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,716 of 15,651 cities and towns
Colorado: #220 of 220 in CO
Population: 2,540 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,561.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 0843660

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 68 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety13#13,668/15,637
Economy3#15,219/15,631
Housing29#10,595/14,977
Health22#12,188/15,609
Healthcare2#15,283/15,650
Environment81#2,895/15,453
Education5#14,941/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,389/15,650
Community22#12,277/15,651
Leisure & amenities6#14,696/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Las Animas, Colorado ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Bent County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Colorado 28.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBent County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,284 /100k
98/100Colorado 1,686 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBent County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.6 µg/m³
98/100Colorado 5.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2019Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBent County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.38%
94/100Colorado 0.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Public libraries · high1.7 /10k
89/100Colorado 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesBent County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Colorado 10 daysUnited States 7 days2019Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBent County value

Weaknesses

Dental care shortage · high22.0
0/100Colorado 3.1United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBent County value
Restaurants and bars · low0.0 /10k
0/100Colorado 9.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBent County value
Mental health care shortage · high21.0
0/100Colorado 12.2United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBent County value
Distance to an emergency room · high22.4 mi
2/100Colorado 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBent County value
Mental health providers · low35 /100k
3/100Colorado 518 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBent County value
Flu vaccinations · low26.0%
3/100Colorado 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBent County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
2,269 (2015-2019) → 2,540 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Median household incomeImproving
$23,456 (2015-2019) → $51,875 (2020-2024)
+121%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
66.5% (2015-2019) → 86.6% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.8 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
52.3% (2015-2019) → 59.9% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
4.8% (2015-2019) → 12.2% (2020-2024)
+7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Las Animas, Colorado improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+121%$23,456 → $51,875
Broadband+20 points66.5% → 86.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Las Animas, Colorado between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.4 min2015-2019	21.7 min2020-2024	+5.4 min	Within the margin of error	9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.3%2015-2019	13.9%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Broadband subscriptions	66.5%2015-2019	86.6%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	90%
Child poverty rate	52.3%2015-2019	59.9%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Within the margin of error	15%
High school diploma or higher	83.2%2015-2019	78.8%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	60%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4922015-2019	0.4542020-2024	−0.038	Within the margin of error	78%
Median household income	$23,4562015-2019	$51,8752020-2024	+121%	Improved	99%
Poverty rate	41.0%2015-2019	35.7%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent as share of income	34.9%2015-2019	36.9%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	68.5%2015-2019	64.4%2020-2024	−4.1 points	Within the margin of error	70%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Las Animas, Colorado five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Las Animas, Colorado in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Las Animas, Colorado itself moved +2.3 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,540 residents (±295)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,060 households (±111)

Las Animas, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $25k24%†259
$25k–50k25%†268
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,060 households (±111)

Las Animas, Colorado
Colorado share

Own61%647
Rent39%413

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+16.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

972 workers (±152)

Las Animas, Colorado
Colorado share

Drive alone79%768
Carpool14%†133
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Bent County, the county holding most of Las Animas's residents.

Bent County has 56 employer establishments, 98.1 for every 10,000 residents (0.39× the US rate of 248; 0.32× Colorado's), with 607 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,628. The Census Bureau also counts 269 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 56; 269 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 98.1; US 248 · Colorado 309
Paid employees: 607
Average annual pay: $47,628; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bent County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	5	8.8	0.42×Too few to compare	49	$40,796	9
Religious organizations	5	8.8	1.58×Too few to compare	7	$11,429	—
Banks and credit unions	3	5.3	1.63×Too few to compare	34	$57,971	—
Gasoline stations	3	5.3	1.62×Too few to compare	23	$27,783	—
Lessors of real estate	3	5.3	0.43×Too few to compare	3	$17,667	12
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Architectural, engineering and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	8
Barber shops	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—

Rank places for an industry Open Bent County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 5,711 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Las Animas is mostly in Bent County.

See federal money in Bent County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Las Animas, Colorado is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Lauren BoebertR-CO-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 4.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Bent County12100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Bent County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0843660

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends