City profile · Colorado · Census ACS 2023

Fort Garland, CO

Fort Garland's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

426
Residents
$29,750
Median income
$239,600
Median home
$1,429
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with Fort Garland, CO - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Fort Garland.

Place dossier plate

Sheet CO-FORT-GARLAND-CO · Fort Garland, CO 426 pop · income 2nd pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 426
  • INC-LOW $29,750
  • COL-PAR 103.1
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 2nd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Sanford
  • HOME-MID $239,600
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Sanford, TX (+ $0 income $)

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 Fort Garland

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fort Garland on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fort Garland on ACS population and median household income . 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: 426.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $29,750. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Fort Garland - the verdict

Fort Garland ranks in the 2nd percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

2nd
percentile, household income
53rd
percentile, home value
68th
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 Garland, CO

Colorado's Fort Garland is a small town, with 426 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $29,750 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 42.7%. Typical homes in Fort Garland are valued around $239,600, and the median resident age is 23.8 years. About 5.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 50.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

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 $1,429 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 Fort Garland'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Fort Garland, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for annual population history, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

Which cities make useful reference points for Fort Garland?

Within Colorado, the closest population matches are Nunn (427 residents, $86,875 income); Wiley (424 residents, $61,250 income); Crawford (420 residents, $57,750 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Marshall, AK (426 residents); Custer Park, IL (426 residents); Amo, IN (426 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 2

How far does income reach against housing in Fort Garland?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 8.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 42.7%, 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.

Compare the housing trade-off →

3. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Fort Garland?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 89.5%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

426 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$29,750 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 42.7% (Highest-decile poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

103.1 (US=100)

Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Colorado average

City profile score · Fort Garland, CO

7/100

4 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.

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.

Household income F
$29,750

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Poverty rate F
42.7%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share F
5.3%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Fort Garland profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Household income, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share. Cost of livingHousehold incomePoverty rateBachelor's+ share 7 F
Fort Garland profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 26/100 (F) · 103.1 index
  • Household income: 0/100 (F) · $29,750
  • Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 42.7%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 5.3%

How does Fort Garland compare to other US cities?

Fort Garland measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 2% higher than other cities
Home value 53% pricier than other cities
Median rent 68% 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 Garland 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 Fort Garland near the bottom of Colorado's cities

Among the 408 Colorado cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fort Garland ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fort Garland only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#372 of 379
2nd percentile in Colorado
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 408
0th percentile in Colorado
Median Home Value
#284 of 388
27th percentile in Colorado
Poverty Rate
#4 of 408
99th percentile in Colorado
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#401 of 408
2nd 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.

2ndIncome percentile
Gauge source note

2nd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Fort Garland's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$239,600 47th percentile more affordable than 47% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). This entry sits in this band. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Fort Garland $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Fort Garland's home-value-to-income ratio: 8.1×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#15,059 of 15,516
More affordable than 3% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#11,055 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 8.1×, Fort Garland sits in the pressured band: national rank #15,059 of 15,516 and #11,055 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

$29,750 Fort Garland, CO median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Fort Garland, CO Fort Garland, CO's median household income ($29,750) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Fort Garland, CO-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Fort Garland, CO median $29,750/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Fort Garland, 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 Fort Garland, CO.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 5.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 42.7%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 50.9%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
426
Median Income
$29,750
Median Home Value
$239,600
Median Age
23.8
Poverty Rate
42.7%
Labor force participation
50.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
5.3%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
89.5%
Carpool
1.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
8.8%

Based on 114 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 Fort Garland. 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 Fort Garland 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 Fort Garland sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Fort Garland 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Fort Garland (this city) 426 $29,750
Nunn 427 $86,875
Wiley 424 $61,250
Crawford 420 $57,750
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every 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.

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