Population
18,447 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Colorado
City profile · Colorado · Census ACS 2023
Fort Carson, CO
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Fort Carson - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 18,447
- Residents
- $61,783
- Median income
- $1,735
- Median rent (state)
Fort Carson - the verdict
Fort Carson ranks in the 38th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 38th
- percentile, household income
- 70th
- percentile, median rent
📝 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: Fort Carson, CO
18,447 people live in Fort Carson, Colorado - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $61,783 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 11.0%. The median resident age is 22.1 years. About 27.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 15.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The city is served by 4 public schools according to NCES Common Core of Data.
Colorado carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Colorado at 103.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,735 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $202 across Colorado, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 94.1 out of 100 (Very High).
Median Household Income
$61,783 /yr
Poverty 11.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.1 (US=100)
Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, Colorado average
How does Fort Carson compare to other US cities?
Here's how Fort Carson stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 38% higher than other cities
Median rent 70% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fort Carson against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Colorado only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Colorado-relative analysis
Poverty Rate places Fort Carson toward the top of Colorado's cities
Among the 408 Colorado cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Fort Carson ranks #94 - the 77th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Carson only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#261 of 379
31st percentile in Colorado
Median Gross Rent
#184 of 408
52nd percentile in Colorado
Poverty Rate
#94 of 408
77th percentile in Colorado
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#237 of 408
42nd percentile in Colorado
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.
38th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 27.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 11.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 15.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
18,447
Median Income
$61,783
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
22.1
Poverty Rate
11.0%
Labor force participation
15.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
27.2%
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
53.7%
Carpool
18.1%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
25.4%
Work from Home
1.8%
Other
0.9%
Based on 11,736 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Colorado - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$90
avg/month
Natural Gas
$62
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$50
avg/month
Total Utilities
$202
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Colorado state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Colorado state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Fort Carson sits in
Cost of Living Index
103.1
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,735/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
94.1 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Colorado
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Carson's 18,447 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Fort Carson's $61,783 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Fort Carson compares to nearby Colorado cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Carson (this city) | 18,447 | $61,783 |
| Cimarron Hills | 18,808 | $75,853 |
| Johnstown | 18,075 | $130,851 |
| Durango | 19,257 | $79,545 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS CO NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Fort Carson, CO?
What is the population of Fort Carson, CO? +
Fort Carson, CO counts 18,447 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Fort Carson, CO? +
Fort Carson households earn a median of $61,783 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Fort Carson? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Fort Carson; the closest available measure is the Colorado state average, a cost of living index of 103.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Colorado vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.