Thirty percent of Ouray County’s housing stock is considered vacant, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, with more than 1,000 housing units reported as unoccupied, despite a housing shortage that has left local workers with few options and led to employee shortages at local businesses.

The “vacant” designation describes homes where no one was living when the Census was taken, which includes second homes where occupants have another primary residence. It does not include homes...