> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://yvindy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Veterans make up a smaller, older slice of Routt County than of Colorado, census figures show - URL: https://yvindy.com/routt-county-veterans-census/ - Published: 2026-11-11T19:20:42.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-12T00:14:35.000Z - Description: About 1,100 veterans live in the county, and an estimated 6 in 10 are 65 or older. - Author: Anna Parashina - Tags: News ## Key points - An estimated 1,066 civilian veterans live in Routt County, according to the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey. The bureau's 90% margin of error puts the number between 824 and 1,308. - Veterans make up about 5% of the county's civilian adults, a smaller share than the 7.5% statewide, by the Independent's calculation. - An estimated 6 in 10 local veterans are 65 or older, compared with about 4 in 10 statewide, by the Independent's calculation. - About 45% of local veterans served during the Vietnam War era, by the Independent's calculation, and an estimated 306 have a service-connected disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Routt County is home to an estimated 1,066 veterans, and about 6 in 10 of them are 65 or older, according to the Census Bureau's latest five-year survey estimates and the Independent's calculations. Veterans make up a smaller share of adults in Routt County than across Colorado, and a larger share of them are 65 or older, the American Community Survey figures show. The estimates pool survey responses collected from 2020 through 2024, so they describe that period rather than a single year. ![Bar chart comparing Routt County with Colorado. Veterans are 5.1% of Routt County's civilian adults vs. 7.5% statewide; 59.5% of local veterans are 65 or older vs. 43.0%; 45.1% served during the Vietnam War era vs. 30.0%; 6.7% are women vs. 12.6%. Lines show the 90% margin of error for Routt County.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/aa/3a/aa3a9637-6f90-40b7-a01c-13f8ce5c1e50/content/images/2026/11/routt-veterans-census-chart_dark.png) Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024; shares by the Independent's calculation. ## A smaller share than statewide Veterans make up about 5.1% of Routt County's 20,757 civilian adults, by the Independent's calculation from the census figures. Statewide, the share is 7.5%, by the same calculation. The gap is larger than the survey's margins of error. Because the figures come from a sample, the count is an estimate. The bureau's 90% margin of error puts the number of local veterans between 824 and 1,308, by the Independent's calculation. Steamboat Radio reported in July 2023 that a Veterans Center planned for the old VFW building on Lincoln Avenue would serve an estimated 1,200 veterans in Routt County. The report did not say how that estimate was made; the figure falls within the survey's range. ## Older, and many from the Vietnam era About 634 of the county's veterans, or roughly 60%, are 65 or older, compared with 43% of veterans statewide, by the Independent's calculation. The margin of error puts the local share between about 50% and 69%. About a third of local veterans are 75 or older, compared with about a fifth statewide, by the same calculation. An estimated 481 local veterans, or about 45%, served during the Vietnam War era, compared with 30% of Colorado veterans, by the Independent's calculation. About 260 local veterans served in September 2001 or later. The bureau asks veterans to mark every period in which they served, so the Independent counted those who served in more than one period in each of them. An estimated 71 local veterans are women, about 7% of the total and a smaller share than the 12.6% statewide, by the Independent's calculation. The margin of error puts the local count between 22 and 120. ## Disability ratings An estimated 306 local veterans, or about 29%, have a service-connected disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, by the Independent's calculation from the survey figures. The survey can't distinguish that share from the statewide 32.1%. ## About the numbers The figures come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B21001, B21002 and B21100, and cover civilian veterans 18 and older. The bureau counts as veterans people who served on active duty in the past but are not serving now. National Guard and Reserve members count only if they were ever called to active duty, not counting initial training or yearly summer camps. Percentages, combined counts and their margins of error are the Independent's calculations, using the bureau's published formulas. ## If you're a veteran Routt County's Veterans Services Office helps veterans and their families apply for VA benefits at no cost. Veterans Service Officer Chana Weissman meets by appointment at the Department of Human Services building, 135 Sixth St. in Steamboat Springs. The office lists hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday; its phone number is 970-870-5469. *Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables* [*B21001*](https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B21001?g=040XX00US08%5F050XX00US08107&ref=yvindy.com)*,* [*B21002*](https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B21002?g=040XX00US08%5F050XX00US08107&ref=yvindy.com) *and* [*B21100*](https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B21100?g=040XX00US08%5F050XX00US08107&ref=yvindy.com)*;* [*Census Bureau veterans glossary*](https://www.census.gov/topics/population/veterans/about/glossary.html?ref=yvindy.com)*;* [*Steamboat Radio, July 11, 2023*](https://www.steamboatradio.com/2023/07/11/northwest-colorado-news-for-wednesday-july-12-2023/?ref=yvindy.com)*;* [*Routt County Veterans Services*](https://www.co.routt.co.us/215/Veterans-Affairs?ref=yvindy.com)*.*