Grand Junction, Colorado

Population

Growing. Up 9.2% since 2020.

71,827

people, the 18th-largest of Colorado's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Colorado's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

6 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

63.3%

of 52,786 jobs located in Grand Junction are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 3.2%.

4.7%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 3.9%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 55% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,142

a month. Colorado's median is $1,761.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $949.

A $949 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Mesa County.

• $1,151 Tract 15.04
• $2,100 Tract 15.03

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,051–$1,576

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,142 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

66% of the housing here was built before 2000.

• 66% of all homes were built before 2000

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.7% to the 31,367 homes here.

109–528

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 28% less than Colorado's.

$389,800

median home value in Grand Junction.

• $389,800 Grand Junction
• $539,400 Colorado
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year