Cost of living in Colorado

Colorado at a glance

Median rent

$1,761

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$95,470

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$539,400

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$2,602

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

25 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.6%

Census ACS, DP03

Colorado's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 3% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Colorado

These are the most populous places in Colorado, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• El Paso County

  Population

  743K

  Rent

  $1,696

  Household income

  $90,363

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,874

  Set as targetPlan

• Denver County

  Population

  719K

  Rent

  $1,831

  Household income

  $94,718

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,751

  Set as targetPlan

• Arapahoe County

  Population

  660K

  Rent

  $1,891

  Household income

  $101,087

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,938

  Set as targetPlan

Colorado, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, as the 38th state. Gold was discovered along the South Platte River in 1858 and more finds followed. In 1861 Congress provided for a territorial government, which saw seven governors appointed in 15 years.

• Rocky Mountain National Park

  Mountain meadows, subalpine forests and alpine tundra across 415 square miles of the Southern Rocky Mountains.

• Mesa Verde National Park

  Communities that Ancestral Pueblo people built on the mesas and in the cliffs over more than 700 years.

• Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

  The tallest dunes in North America, set among grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes and tundra.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Colorado

Current owners in Colorado pay a median 0.48% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $2,602 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $487 in Prowers County to $4,074 in Pitkin County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Colorado

Life expectancy

78.5 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

8.4%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

13.7%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

93

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Colorado as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Colorado

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$2.1B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.55

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$960M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

El Paso County, CO is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 64 counties in Colorado

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.