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Place dossier plate
SheetCO-COLORADO-SPRINGS-CO · Colorado Springs, CO 483,099 pop · income 65th pct · 167 tracts
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 Colorado Springs
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Colorado Springs on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Kansas City · lowest
67,449
Kansas City · lowest
67,449 median HH income
59.5% of the leader · rank #1
Woodland · near
83,193
Woodland · near
83,193 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #2
Towamensing T… · near
83,196
Towamensing T… · near
83,196 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #3
Colorado Spri… · this city
83,198
Colorado Spri… · this city
83,198 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #4
Flowood · near
83,204
Flowood · near
83,204 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #5
Idyllwild-Pin… · near
83,205
Idyllwild-Pin… · near
83,205 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #6
Arvada · highest
113,396
Arvada · highest
113,396 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 Colorado Springs 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: 483,099.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Colorado Springs - the verdict
Nationally, Colorado Springs sits in the 65th percentile for household income and the 7th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
65th
percentile, household income
79th
percentile, home value
68th
percentile, median rent
7th
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: Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado's Colorado Springs is a mid-sized U.S. city, with 483,099 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $83,198 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.9%. Home values in Colorado Springs run a median of $420,700, and the median resident age is 35.6 years. About 41.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 61.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Colorado Springs's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 4164.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 50.4°F with 15.9 inches of precipitation per year and 32.5 inches of snowfall.
Colorado carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 103.1 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,429 per month statewide. 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 Colorado Springs'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 population change to reported crime to within-city variation to climate and hazard context to housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Colorado Springs, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
Is Colorado Springs growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +13,513 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.8% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Colorado Springs?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 4164.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 83% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
What can 167 Census tracts reveal inside Colorado Springs?
PlainCities matches 167 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
Which cities make useful reference points for Colorado Springs?
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.
Within Colorado, the closest population matches are Aurora (390,201 residents, $84,320 income); Denver (713,734 residents, $91,681 income); Fort Collins (169,705 residents, $83,598 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Omaha, NE (488,197 residents); Raleigh, NC (470,763 residents); Atlanta, GA (499,287 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.
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.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Colorado Springs?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.4°F, with 15.9 inches of precipitation and 32.5 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Colorado is 40.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
FEMA risk index (state avg)
40.7
Annual precipitation
15.9 in
Mean temperature
50.4°F
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
How far does income reach against housing in Colorado Springs?
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.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
5.1×
Home value
$420,700
Household income
$83,198
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the journey to work look like in Colorado Springs?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 71.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Drive alone
71.1%
Work from home
16.1%
Public transit
0.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 247,643 workers age 16+.
What does the education layer cover for Colorado Springs?
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.
The NCES join finds 185 public schools within the city match. 41.9% 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.
Poverty estimate
5.9%
Bachelor's degree+
41.9%
Matched public schools
185
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 5.9% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.1 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Colorado average
D
City profile score · Colorado Springs, CO
46/100
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 B+
41.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income C+
$83,198
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C+
5.9%
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.
Violent crime F
716 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Colorado Springs profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 77/100 (B+) · 41.9%
Household income: 63/100 (C+) · $83,198
Poverty rate: 60/100 (C+) · 5.9%
Cost of living: 26/100 (F) · 103.1 index
Violent crime: 5/100 (F) · 716 /100k
Where Colorado Springs sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Colorado Springs'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 - Colorado Springs highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Colorado Springs, CO (this city): home $420,700, crime 4,164/100k
Omaha, NE : home $230,100, crime 3,531/100k
Raleigh, NC : home $377,800, crime 3,308/100k
Mesa, AZ : home $364,300, crime 1,947/100k
Long Beach, CA : home $762,200, crime 4,155/100k
Kansas City, MO : home $227,000, crime 6,223/100k
Aurora, CO : home $444,500, crime 4,052/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Fort Collins, CO : home $548,400, crime 2,428/100k
Lakewood, CO : home $548,200, crime 5,881/100k
Thornton, CO : home $482,200, crime 3,109/100k
Arvada, CO : home $600,800, crime 2,765/100k
How does Colorado Springs compare to other US cities?
Where Colorado Springs sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income65% higher than other cities
Home value79% pricier than other cities
Median rent68% pricier than other cities
Safety7% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Colorado and the picture shifts: Colorado Springs ranks #102 of 116 Colorado cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs near the bottom of Colorado's cities
Among the 408 Colorado cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Colorado Springs ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Colorado Springs only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#179 of 379
53rd percentile in Colorado
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 408
0th percentile in Colorado
Median Home Value
#177 of 388
54th percentile in Colorado
Poverty Rate
#173 of 408
57th percentile in Colorado
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#163 of 408
60th 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
65th percentile nationally for median household income · 7th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Colorado Springs's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Colorado Springs'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 Colorado Springs's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$420,70021st percentilemore affordable than 21% 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
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#12,993 of 15,516
More affordable than 16% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#69 of 117
Large cities (200,000–999,999)
At 5.1×, Colorado Springs sits in the pressured band:
national rank #12,993 of 15,516 and #69 of 117large cities (200,000–999,999).
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
$83,198Colorado Springs, CO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Colorado Springs, 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 Colorado Springs, CO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)41.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)61.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
483,099
Median Income
$83,198
Median Home Value
$420,700
Median Age
35.6
Poverty Rate
5.9%
Labor force participation
61.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
41.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
4164.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
715.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
3448.8
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
50.4°F
Annual Precipitation
15.9"
Annual Snowfall
32.5"
Schools
Total Schools
185
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Colorado Springs's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
481,230 residents
2021
484,135 residents
2022
487,141 residents
2023
490,094 residents
2024
492,455 residents
2025
494,743 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
71.1%
Carpool
9.0%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
1.8%
Work from Home
16.1%
Other
1.5%
Based on 247,643 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 Colorado Springs. 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 Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Colorado Springs 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, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, 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.