The San Juan River is a 383 mile long major tributary of the Colorado River and a primary drainage for the Four Corners.
Navajo Lake is a 3800 feet long and 400 feet deep reservoir located in northeastern San Juan County, created from a dam completed in 1962.
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness (Bisti Badlands) is a 45,000-acre wilderness area full of rock formations made of sandstone, shale, mudstone, and silt.
The Aztec Ruins National Monument, on 318 acres, consists of dwellings and sacred structures built by Ancient Pueblo Indians in the 12th and 13th Centuries.
Shiprock (Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings") is a 27 million year old volcanic rock formation, designated as a National Natural Landmark, rising 1,583 feet above the desert.
The eggs and hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness were formed in sand and silt revealed 73 million years ago when the Western Interior Seaway receded.
Angel Peak Scenic Area is located 15 miles south of Bloomfield in San Juan County, with over 10,000 acres of rugged terrain, badlands and deep canyons.
The La Plata Mountains, seen from San Juan County, are a small subrange of the San Juan Mountains in sw Colorado, and includes Hesperus Mountain at 13,332 feet.

Income & Poverty

Category: Economics & Housing

Household Income

In 2024, the estimated median household income in San Juan County was $66,426, just below New Mexico's estimate of $67,816 and less than the U.S. $81,604.

The 2024 per capita income in San Juan County is estimated at $30,972, below New Mexico ($37,978) and the U.S. ($45,256).

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Median Household Income (2024)

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Per Capita Personal Income

Trends, Household Income

San Juan County's median household income declined from 2016 to 2020, falling below New Mexico. Since 2020, the county's estimated household income has been steadily increasing at a somewhat faster rate, although it is still just below that of New Mexico and well below the U.S. median.

Poverty Rates

It is estimated that 22,740 people in San Juan County (approximately 1 in 5 or 19.0% of the population) are living below the federal poverty level. This includes nearly one-fourth (23.0%) of children under 18, nearly one-third (32.7%) of children under 5 years, and 14% of those 65 and over.

Despite recent declines in poverty, San Juan County's poverty level is above that of the state (16.4%) and the U.S. (12.1%). 

Poverty, Children

Under 18

Poverty, Over 65
Poverty (All Ages)

Trends, Poverty

The last four years of available Census data (from 2021 to 2024) show a downward trend in poverty for San Juan County. (See notes below regarding Census estimates.)

Income and Poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey: 2024, 1-year estimates.

Trend data, Income & Poverty: Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPES), retrieved from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) See "Notes."

Updated/Checked: Sept-Oct 2026

American Community Survey (ACS) estimates for income and poverty vary somewhat from the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPES), as different methods are used to arrive at the estimates. The overall trends are the same.