Otero County, Colorado Housing Market

In Otero County, Colorado, the median home value is $168,900, with a median monthly rent of $839. This places Otero County at #1824 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #58 within Colorado.

Median Home Value $168,900
Median Rent $839/mo
Owner Occupancy 68.9%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.8

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Otero County rose +0.5% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

4,266
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $940
  • Establishments: 447
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

8
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 8
  • Multi-family: 0
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+468
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 6,870 (avg $50,669)
  • Outflow: 6,402 (avg $51,351)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

How Otero County Compares

MetricOtero CountyColorado AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $168,900 $427,512 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $839 $1,302 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 68.9% 71.9% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.8 26.3 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Otero County is 60.5% below the Colorado state average and 25.8% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $839/month is 35.6% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 16.8, the buy-vs-rent decision in Otero County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Otero County has an owner-occupancy rate of 68.9%, compared to 71.9% in Colorado and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more renter-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Highland County Ohio $168,900 $780
Meriwether County Georgia $168,800 $920
Wilkes County North Carolina $168,800 $723
Woodward County Oklahoma $169,000 $838
Upson County Georgia $168,700 $849

Other Counties in Colorado

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Kiowa County $161,500 $800 68.7%
Prowers County $160,600 $808 67.1%
Costilla County $184,700 $927 79.0%
Cheyenne County $187,500 $926 72.6%
Sedgwick County $149,000 $774 71.8%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).