This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Most socially connected counties in Colorado
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Colorado using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
#20. Pueblo County and Huerfano County
- Pueblo County population: 169,422
- Huerfano County population: 7,055
- Social connectedness index: 1,013,255
#19. Lincoln County and Elbert County
- Lincoln County population: 5,480
- Elbert County population: 28,806
- Social connectedness index: 1,289,087
#18. La Plata County and Archuleta County
- La Plata County population: 56,407
- Archuleta County population: 14,189
- Social connectedness index: 1,295,405
#17. Clear Creek County and Gilpin County
- Clear Creek County population: 9,147
- Gilpin County population: 5,926
- Social connectedness index: 1,383,478
#16. Lake County and Eagle County
- Lake County population: 7,365
- Eagle County population: 54,381
- Social connectedness index: 1,593,204
#15. Jackson County and Grand County
- Jackson County population: 1,309
- Grand County population: 15,935
- Social connectedness index: 1,828,341
#14. Delta County and Montrose County
- Delta County population: 31,746
- Montrose County population: 44,156
- Social connectedness index: 2,309,602
#13. Pitkin County and Garfield County
- Pitkin County population: 16,640
- Garfield County population: 62,707
- Social connectedness index: 2,519,563
#12. Fremont County and Custer County
- Fremont County population: 50,318
- Custer County population: 5,534
- Social connectedness index: 2,560,849
#11. Rio Blanco County and Moffat County
- Rio Blanco County population: 6,569
- Moffat County population: 13,327
- Social connectedness index: 3,703,584
#10. San Miguel County and Ouray County
- San Miguel County population: 7,868
- Ouray County population: 5,176
- Social connectedness index: 5,785,175
#9. Logan County and Phillips County
- Logan County population: 20,619
- Phillips County population: 4,476
- Social connectedness index: 6,069,609
#8. San Juan County and Hinsdale County
- San Juan County population: 802
- Hinsdale County population: 765
- Social connectedness index: 8,192,252
#7. Rio Grande County and Saguache County
- Rio Grande County population: 11,188
- Saguache County population: 6,688
- Social connectedness index: 8,840,080
#6. Montezuma County and Dolores County
- Montezuma County population: 26,531
- Dolores County population: 2,513
- Social connectedness index: 9,152,547
#5. Baca County and Prowers County
- Baca County population: 3,344
- Prowers County population: 11,751
- Social connectedness index: 9,890,508
#4. Otero County and Crowley County
- Otero County population: 18,136
- Crowley County population: 5,636
- Social connectedness index: 12,770,129
#3. Washington County and Yuma County
- Washington County population: 4,855
- Yuma County population: 9,862
- Social connectedness index: 16,412,168
#2. Conejos County and Alamosa County
- Conejos County population: 7,521
- Alamosa County population: 16,655
- Social connectedness index: 18,594,313
#1. Kiowa County and Cheyenne County
- Kiowa County population: 1,384
- Cheyenne County population: 1,727
- Social connectedness index: 60,951,582
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.