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Place dossier plate
SheetCO-PALMER-LAKE-CO · Palmer Lake, CO 2,635 pop · income 88th 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 Palmer Lake
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Palmer Lake on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Bawcomville · lowest
32,721
Bawcomville · lowest
32,721 median HH income
25.6% of the leader · rank #1
Lake Riverside · near
122,833
Lake Riverside · near
122,833 median HH income
96.0% of the leader · rank #2
Heathrow · near
122,837
Heathrow · near
122,837 median HH income
96.0% of the leader · rank #3
Palmer Lake · this city
122,855
Palmer Lake · this city
122,855 median HH income
96.0% of the leader · rank #4
Hilliard · near
122,864
Hilliard · near
122,864 median HH income
96.0% of the leader · rank #5
Bluffdale · near
122,879
Bluffdale · near
122,879 median HH income
96.0% of the leader · rank #6
Holly Hills · highest
127,989
Holly Hills · highest
127,989 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 Palmer Lake 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: 2,635.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Palmer Lake - the verdict
Nationally, Palmer Lake sits in the 88th percentile for household income and the 62nd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
88th
percentile, household income
82nd
percentile, home value
68th
percentile, median rent
62nd
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: Palmer Lake, CO
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 2,635 residents in Palmer Lake, a small town within Colorado. Households in Palmer Lake report a median income of $122,855 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. Palmer Lake's housing stock carries a median value of $454,000, and the median resident age is 49.4 years. About 46.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 62.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Palmer Lake reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1053.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
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). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,429 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $202 across Colorado, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Palmer Lake report an average commute of 21.5 minutes, with 76.5% driving alone and 21.3% 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 Palmer Lake'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 housing and income to reported crime to schools and households to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Palmer Lake, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Palmer Lake?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.0%, 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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Palmer Lake?
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 1053.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 54% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the education layer cover for Palmer Lake?
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 46.3% 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 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Palmer Lake?
Within Colorado, the closest population matches are Leadville (2,634 residents, $83,875 income); Holly Hills (2,652 residents, $127,989 income); Telluride (2,595 residents, $97,330 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Oakland City, IN (2,635 residents); Bawcomville, LA (2,635 residents); Carleton, MI (2,635 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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Palmer Lake?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 76.5%. The reported mean trip to work is 21.5 minutes.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
21.3%
Drive alone
76.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,474 workers age 16+.
Is Palmer Lake growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -66 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.5% 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.
Period change
-2.5%
2025 estimate
2,591
2020 estimate
2,657
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Colorado average
B
City profile score · Palmer Lake, CO
71/100
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.
Poverty rate A+
0.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income A
$122,855
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share A-
46.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime C
156 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger 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.
Palmer Lake profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 100/100 (A+) · 0.0%
Household income: 87/100 (A) · $122,855
Bachelor's+ share: 81/100 (A-) · 46.3%
Violent crime: 57/100 (C) · 156 /100k
Cost of living: 26/100 (F) · 103.1 index
Where Palmer Lake sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Palmer Lake'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 - Palmer Lake highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Palmer Lake, CO (this city): home $454,000, crime 1,054/100k
Healdton, OK : home $58,800, crime 977/100k
Ninety Six, SC : home $114,000, crime 1,118/100k
Lineville, AL : home $146,300, crime 402/100k
Leadville, CO : home $374,700, crime 913/100k
Telluride, CO : home $390,300, crime 1,324/100k
Palisade, CO : home $295,200, crime 1,072/100k
Rangely, CO : home $192,200, crime 1,315/100k
How does Palmer Lake compare to other US cities?
Where Palmer Lake sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income88% higher than other cities
Home value82% pricier than other cities
Median rent68% pricier than other cities
Safety62% 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, Palmer Lake ranks #39 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 Palmer Lake 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 Palmer Lake near the bottom of Colorado's cities
Among the 408 Colorado cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Palmer Lake ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Palmer Lake only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#78 of 379
79th percentile in Colorado
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 408
0th percentile in Colorado
Median Home Value
#157 of 388
59th percentile in Colorado
Poverty Rate
#302 of 408
0th percentile in Colorado
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#139 of 408
66th 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
88th percentile nationally for median household income · 62nd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Palmer Lake's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Palmer Lake'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 Palmer Lake's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$454,00018th percentilemore affordable than 18% 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
Palmer Lake's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,706 of 15,516
More affordable than 37% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#7,723 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.7×, Palmer Lake sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,706 of 15,516 and #7,723 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$122,855Palmer Lake, CO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Palmer Lake, 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 Palmer Lake, CO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)46.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)62.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,635
Median Income
$122,855
Median Home Value
$454,000
Median Age
49.4
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
62.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
46.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1053.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
156.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
897.4
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
Palmer Lake's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,657 residents
2021
2,657 residents
2022
2,625 residents
2023
2,586 residents
2024
2,572 residents
2025
2,591 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
21.5 minutes
Drive Alone
76.5%
Carpool
2.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
21.3%
Based on 1,474 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 Palmer Lake. 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 Palmer Lake 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 Palmer Lake sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Palmer Lake 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 ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.