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Place dossier plate
SheetCO-CARBONDALE-CO · Carbondale, CO 6,553 pop · income 74th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Carbondale
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Carbondale on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Franklin · lowest
46,278
Franklin · lowest
46,278 median HH income
18.5% of the leader · rank #1
Carbondale · this city
94,300
Carbondale · this city
94,300 median HH income
37.7% of the leader · rank #2
Watsessing · near
94,301
Watsessing · near
94,301 median HH income
37.7% of the leader · rank #3
Des Plaines · near
94,303
Des Plaines · near
94,303 median HH income
37.7% of the leader · rank #4
Bailey's Prai… · near
94,306
Bailey's Prai… · near
94,306 median HH income
37.7% of the leader · rank #5
Fairford · near
94,309
Fairford · near
94,309 median HH income
37.7% of the leader · rank #6
Cherry Hills · highest
250,001
Cherry Hills · highest
250,001 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Carbondale on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 6,553.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Carbondale - the verdict
Carbondale ranks in the 74th percentile for household income and the 74th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
74th
percentile, household income
95th
percentile, home value
68th
percentile, median rent
74th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Carbondale, CO
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 6,553 residents in Carbondale, a small town within Colorado. Households in Carbondale report a median income of $94,300 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 13.5%. Typical homes in Carbondale are valued around $796,100, and the median resident age is 40.8 years. Educational attainment runs 56.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 73.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 16 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 57% from five years earlier. Carbondale reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 750.6 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Colorado carries a cost-of-living premium: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Colorado scores 103.1 (Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,429 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Colorado's average monthly utility costs around $202 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 40.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Carbondale's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income to reported crime to comparison shortlist to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Carbondale, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, annual population history, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Carbondale?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 56.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What does the education layer cover for Carbondale?
The NCES join finds 6 public schools within the city match. 56.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
How far does income reach against housing in Carbondale?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 8.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Carbondale?
Within Colorado, the closest population matches are Orchard Mesa (6,597 residents, $76,173 income); Dacono (6,419 residents, $99,389 income); Air Force Academy (6,701 residents, $93,889 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Valley City, ND (6,554 residents); South Lebanon, OH (6,552 residents); Calipatria, CA (6,549 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Carbondale?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 750.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 67% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
618.1
Violent rate
132.5
Total reported rate
750.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Carbondale growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +298 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 16 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+4.6%
2025 estimate
6,762
2020 estimate
6,464
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 13.5% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.1 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Colorado average
C
City profile score · Carbondale, CO
55/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A
56.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B
$94,300
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime C+
133 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
13.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living F
103.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Carbondale profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 89/100 (A) · 56.3%
Household income: 73/100 (B) · $94,300
Violent crime: 63/100 (C+) · 133 /100k
Poverty rate: 26/100 (F) · 13.5%
Cost of living: 26/100 (F) · 103.1 index
Where Carbondale sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Carbondale's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Carbondale highlighted among 25 peers.Read the chart values
Carbondale, CO (this city): home $796,100, crime 751/100k
Valley City, ND : home $152,800, crime 1,101/100k
Calipatria, CA : home $172,900, crime 299/100k
Dacono, CO : home $448,200, crime 973/100k
Gunnison, CO : home $432,200, crime 4,161/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Carbondale compare to other US cities?
Here's how Carbondale stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income74% higher than other cities
Home value95% pricier than other cities
Median rent68% pricier than other cities
Safety74% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Colorado, Carbondale ranks #23 of 116 Colorado cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Carbondale against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Colorado only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Colorado-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Carbondale near the bottom of Colorado's cities
Among the 408 Colorado cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Carbondale ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Carbondale only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#134 of 379
65th percentile in Colorado
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 408
0th percentile in Colorado
Median Home Value
#55 of 388
86th percentile in Colorado
Poverty Rate
#69 of 408
83rd percentile in Colorado
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#93 of 408
77th percentile in Colorado
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Colorado only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
74th percentile nationally for median household income · 74th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Carbondale's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Carbondale's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Carbondale's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$796,1005th percentilemore affordable than 5% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Carbondale's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,145 of 15,516
More affordable than 2% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11,103 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 8.4×, Carbondale sits in the pressured band:
national rank #15,145 of 15,516 and #11,103 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$94,300Carbondale, CO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Carbondale, CO median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Carbondale, CO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)56.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)73.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
6,553
Median Income
$94,300
Median Home Value
$796,100
Median Age
40.8
Poverty Rate
13.5%
Labor force participation
73.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
56.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
750.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
132.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
618.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
6
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Carbondale's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
6,464 residents
2021
6,499 residents
2022
6,679 residents
2023
6,782 residents
2024
6,828 residents
2025
6,762 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
16
housing units authorized
Single-Family
14
detached homes
Multifamily
2
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
37
34
3
$17.7M
2020
44
40
4
$20.9M
2021
129
21
108
$34.9M
2022
41
17
24
$18.6M
2023
10
10
0
$9.0M
2024
16
14
2
$14.3M
Permit volume decreased 57% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
56.3%
Carpool
9.3%
Public Transit
5.5%
Walk
5.7%
Work from Home
14.8%
Other
8.4%
Based on 3,975 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Colorado statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $202
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Colorado at $202 (electricity about $90 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Colorado statewide averages, not a meter reading for Carbondale. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Colorado's BEA cost-of-living index is 103.1 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Carbondale is $1,429/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Colorado statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 40.7 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Colorado statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Carbondale sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Carbondale compares to similar-size Colorado cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.