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Place dossier plate
SheetCO-IDAHO-SPRINGS-CO · Idaho Springs, CO 1,968 pop · income 67th 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 Idaho Springs
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Idaho Springs on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Ortonville · lowest
53,021
Ortonville · lowest
53,021 median HH income
21.2% of the leader · rank #1
Idaho Springs · this city
85,450
Idaho Springs · this city
85,450 median HH income
34.2% of the leader · rank #2
Noble · near
85,452
Noble · near
85,452 median HH income
34.2% of the leader · rank #3
Mineral · near
85,455
Mineral · near
85,455 median HH income
34.2% of the leader · rank #4
East Sonora · near
85,461
East Sonora · near
85,461 median HH income
34.2% of the leader · rank #5
Hopewell · near
85,461
Hopewell · near
85,461 median HH income
34.2% of the leader · rank #6
Columbine Val… · highest
250,001
Columbine Val… · 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 Idaho 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: 1,968.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Idaho Springs - the verdict
Nationally, Idaho Springs sits in the 67th percentile for household income and the 15th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
67th
percentile, household income
80th
percentile, home value
68th
percentile, median rent
15th
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: Idaho Springs, CO
Colorado's Idaho Springs is a small town, with 1,968 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Idaho Springs households earn a median of $85,450 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.8%. Home values in Idaho Springs run a median of $434,900, and the median resident age is 39.8 years. 50.0% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 69.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 0 residential units were authorized in 2024 (No Permits), down 100% from five years earlier. Idaho Springs's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 3098.9 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).
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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,429 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Colorado run around $202, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Idaho Springs report an average commute of 17.8 minutes, with 45.4% driving alone and 21.8% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 40.7 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Idaho 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 comparison shortlist to reported crime to population change to work and mobility to housing and income to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Idaho Springs, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, local building permits.
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. Comparison shortlist
Which cities make useful reference points for Idaho 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 Lyons (1,927 residents, $132,589 income); Hayden (2,010 residents, $97,917 income); Keenesburg (1,866 residents, $83,490 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Camino, CA (1,968 residents); Newtown, CT (1,968 residents); Baden, MD (1,968 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.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Idaho Springs?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3098.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 36% 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.
Is Idaho Springs growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +38 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 housing units authorized in 2024. 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 does the journey to work look like in Idaho Springs?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 45.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 17.8 minutes.
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.
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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Idaho 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 4.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
5.1×
Home value
$434,900
Household income
$85,450
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What does the education layer cover for Idaho Springs?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 50.0% 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
4.8%
Bachelor's degree+
50.0%
Matched public schools
1
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 4.8% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.1 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Colorado average
C-
City profile score · Idaho Springs, CO
51/100
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-
50.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income B-
$85,450
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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
477 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Idaho Springs profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 84/100 (A-) · 50.0%
Poverty rate: 67/100 (B-) · 4.8%
Household income: 65/100 (B-) · $85,450
Cost of living: 26/100 (F) · 103.1 index
Violent crime: 17/100 (F) · 477 /100k
Where Idaho Springs sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Idaho 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 - Idaho Springs highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Idaho Springs, CO (this city): home $434,900, crime 3,099/100k
Newtown, CT : home $465,400, crime 369/100k
Hayden, CO : home $394,400, crime 1,097/100k
Keenesburg, CO : home $410,500, crime 1,232/100k
Columbine Valley, CO : home $1,408,700, crime 747/100k
Hudson, CO : home $312,600, crime 1,557/100k
Kremmling, CO : home $322,400, crime 1,264/100k
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 Idaho Springs compare to other US cities?
Where Idaho Springs sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income67% higher than other cities
Home value80% pricier than other cities
Median rent68% pricier than other cities
Safety15% 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, Idaho Springs ranks #87 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 Idaho 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 Idaho Springs near the bottom of Colorado's cities
Among the 408 Colorado cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Idaho Springs ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Idaho Springs only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#169 of 379
55th percentile in Colorado
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 408
0th percentile in Colorado
Median Home Value
#173 of 388
55th percentile in Colorado
Poverty Rate
#203 of 408
49th percentile in Colorado
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#123 of 408
70th 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
67th percentile nationally for median household income · 15th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Idaho Springs's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Idaho 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 Idaho Springs's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$434,90020th percentilemore affordable than 20% 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
Idaho Springs's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,052 of 15,516
More affordable than 16% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,854 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.1×, Idaho Springs sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,052 of 15,516 and #9,854 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
$85,450Idaho Springs, CO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Idaho 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 Idaho Springs, CO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)50.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)69.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,968
Median Income
$85,450
Median Home Value
$434,900
Median Age
39.8
Poverty Rate
4.8%
Labor force participation
69.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
50.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3098.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
476.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2622.2
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
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Idaho Springs's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,804 residents
2021
1,790 residents
2022
1,740 residents
2023
1,705 residents
2024
1,691 residents
2025
1,842 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
47
0
47
$9.5M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
4
0
4
$0.9M
2023
4
0
4
$0.9M
2024
0
0
0
-
Permit volume decreased 100% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
17.8 minutes
Drive Alone
45.4%
Carpool
11.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
21.5%
Work from Home
21.8%
Based on 1,235 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 Idaho 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 Idaho 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 Idaho Springs sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Idaho 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, 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.