Summit County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,055, and was estimated to be 30,882 in 2024. Summit County comprises the Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Summit County was organized as one of the seventeen original Colorado counties by the First Territorial Legislature on November 1, 1861. It was named for the many mountain summits in the county. Until February 2, 1874, its boundaries included the area now comprising Summit County, Grand County, Routt County, Moffat County, Garfield County, Eagle County, and Rio Blanco County.

In 1874, the northern half of the original Summit County was split off to form Grand County; with the creation of Garfield and Eagle counties in 1883, Summit County arrived at its present boundaries. In addition, Summit County has seen two major boom eras.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.77%) is water. It is the 55th largest county in Colorado by total area.

The terrain of the county is mountainous with elevations ranging from at Green Mountain Reservoir to at Grays Peak. The elevation of the county seat of Breckenridge is , making it one of the highest cities in the state of Colorado and the United States. Much of the county has an alpine climate (ET in the Köppen Classification) characterized by tundra vegetation. Breckenridge and other similar elevations in the county have a subarctic climate (Dfc) characterized by cool summers and abundant snowfall in winter.

Adjacent counties

  • Grand County – north
  • Clear Creek County – east
  • Park County – southeast
  • Lake County – southwest
  • Eagle County – west

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 70
  • 20px U.S. Highway 6
  • 20px State Highway 9
  • 20px State Highway 91

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 31,055. Of the residents, 16.8% were under the age of 18 and 13.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females there were 119.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 120.7 males. 83.9% of residents lived in urban areas and 16.1% lived in rural areas.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Summit County, Colorado – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>

!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!

!% 2000

!% 2010

!

|-

|White alone (NH)

|20,411

|23,158

|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,782

|86.68%

|82.72%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76.58%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|157

|208

|style='background: #ffffe6; |232

|0.67%

|0.74%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.75%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|85

|55

|style='background: #ffffe6; |67

|0.36%

|0.20%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|201

|269

|style='background: #ffffe6; |407

|0.85%

|0.96%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.31%

|-

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|16

|13

|style='background: #ffffe6; |20

|0.07%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|18

|31

|style='background: #ffffe6; |150

|0.08%

|0.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.48%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|354

|271

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,062

|1.50%

|0.97%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.42%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|2,306

|3,989

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,335

|9.79%

|14.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |17.18%

|-

|Total

|23,548

|27,994

|style='background: #ffffe6; |31,055

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

The racial makeup of the county was 79.7% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 8.8% from some other race, and 8.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 17.2% of the population. For every 100 females there were 139.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,587, and the median income for a family was $66,914 (these figures had risen to $65,281 and $80,441 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $33,741 versus $27,017 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,676. About 3.10% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.30% of those under age 18 and 3.40% of those age 65 or over.

thumb|upright|Snowmelt runoff fills [[Lake Dillon in Summit County]]

Life expectancy

According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, residents of Summit County had a 2014 life expectancy from birth of 86.83 years in 2014, the longest in the United States. Both men and women live longer in Summit County than in any other county in the United States: 85.5 years for men and 88.0 years for women is the life expectancy at birth. Two contiguous counties, Pitkin and Eagle Counties, rank numbers two and three in the nation in life expectancy. Factors contributing to the high life expectancy in Summit County are "high education, high income, high access to medical care, the people are physically active, obesity is lower than anywhere else — so you’re doing it right,” said Dr. Ali Mokdad, one of the study's co-authors.

Education

K–12 schools

Elementary schools

  • Breckenridge Elementary School
  • Dillon Valley Elementary School (Dillon)
  • Frisco Elementary School
  • Silverthorne Elementary School
  • Summit Cove Elementary School (Dillon)
  • Upper Blue Elementary School (Breckenridge)

Middle school

  • Summit Middle School (Frisco)

High schools

  • Snowy Peaks Junior/Senior High School (Frisco)
  • Summit High School (between Frisco and Breckenridge)

Higher education

Colorado Mountain College operates campuses in Breckenridge and Dillon.

Politics

Summit County is liberal in most elections. Since 1988 the county has trended strongly toward the Democratic Party, like many other counties in Colorado dominated by ski towns. In 2020, Joe Biden's performance was the best by a Democrat since 1916, and Kamala Harris' performance was only slightly worse in 2024.

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Communities

Towns

  • Blue River
  • Breckenridge
  • Dillon
  • Frisco
  • Keystone
  • Montezuma
  • Silverthorne

Census-designated places

  • Copper Mountain
  • Heeney

Ghost towns

  • Dyersville
  • Kokomo
  • Parkville
  • Preston
  • Saints John
  • Tiger

Recreation

National protected areas

  • White River National Forest
  • Eagles Nest Wilderness

Ski areas

  • Arapahoe Basin
  • Breckenridge
  • Copper Mountain
  • Keystone

Trails and byways

  • American Discovery Trail
  • Colorado Trail
  • Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
  • Great Parks Bicycle Route
  • Top of the Rockies National Scenic Byway
  • TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route
  • Vail Pass National Recreation Trail
  • Wheeler Ten Mile National Recreation Trail

Lakes

The county has three reservoirs, Lake Dillon, Green Mountain Reservoir, and Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir that are also popular recreation sites.

Islands

  • Silver Dollar Island

Concert venues

  • Dillon Amphitheater

See also

  • Bibliography of Colorado
  • Geography of Colorado
  • History of Colorado
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Summit County, Colorado
  • Index of Colorado-related articles
  • List of Colorado-related lists
  • List of counties in Colorado
  • List of statistical areas in Colorado
  • Outline of Colorado

References

thumb|upright|Gold specimen from the Breckenridge Mining District

  • State of Colorado
  • History Colorado
  • Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
  • Kokomo and Racen ghost towns