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Place dossier plate
SheetCO-SAN-LUIS-CO · San Luis, CO 582 pop · income 3rd pct · 2 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 San Luis
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest San Luis on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Easton · lowest
30,469
Easton · lowest
30,469 median HH income
12.2% of the leader · rank #1
Austin · near
30,473
Austin · near
30,473 median HH income
12.2% of the leader · rank #2
Great Falls · near
30,475
Great Falls · near
30,475 median HH income
12.2% of the leader · rank #3
San Luis · this city
30,481
San Luis · this city
30,481 median HH income
12.2% of the leader · rank #4
Tenaha · near
30,484
Tenaha · near
30,484 median HH income
12.2% of the leader · rank #5
Marble Hill · near
30,486
Marble Hill · near
30,486 median HH income
12.2% of the leader · rank #6
Upper Witter… · highest
250,001
Upper Witter… · 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
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for San Luis 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: 582.
San Luis ranks in the 3rd percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
3rd
percentile, household income
23rd
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: San Luis, CO
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 582 residents in San Luis, a small town within Colorado. Median household income here is $30,481 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 35.8%. Home values in San Luis run a median of $137,500, and the median resident age is 38.7 years. About 8.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 48.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 1 residential building permits were authorized in San Luis (Low Activity), per Census BPS data. The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 44.0°F with 9.0 inches of precipitation per year.
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. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,429 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $202 across Colorado, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 40.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of San Luis'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 climate and hazard context to housing and income to within-city variation to comparison shortlist to schools and households 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 San Luis, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in San Luis?
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 44.0°F, with 9.0 inches of precipitation. 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.
How far does income reach against housing in San Luis?
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 4.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 35.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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 San Luis?
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.
Within Colorado, the closest population matches are Otis (582 residents, $52,237 income); Central (576 residents, $62,094 income); Simla (576 residents). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Bergman, AR (582 residents); Kirby, AR (582 residents); Ohio, IL (582 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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for San Luis?
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. 8.1% 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
35.8%
Bachelor's degree+
8.1%
Matched public schools
1
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in San Luis?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 61.5%. 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. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
61.5%
Work from home
2.6%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 195 workers age 16+.
Is San Luis growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -3 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
2020 estimate
600
2025 estimate
597
Period change
-0.5%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 35.8% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.1 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Colorado average
F
City profile score · San Luis, 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.
Bachelor's+ share F
8.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$30,481
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
35.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
San Luis profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 26/100 (F) · 103.1 index
Bachelor's+ share: 1/100 (F) · 8.1%
Household income: 0/100 (F) · $30,481
Poverty rate: 0/100 (F) · 35.8%
How does San Luis compare to other US cities?
Where San Luis sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income3% higher than other cities
Home value23% pricier than other cities
Median rent68% 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 San Luis 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 San Luis near the bottom of Colorado's cities
Among the 408 Colorado cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, San Luis ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares San Luis only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#371 of 379
2nd percentile in Colorado
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 408
0th percentile in Colorado
Median Home Value
#347 of 388
10th percentile in Colorado
Poverty Rate
#9 of 408
98th percentile in Colorado
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#389 of 408
4th 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
3rd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How San Luis's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$137,500Among the most affordablemore affordable than 77% 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
San Luis's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#11,995 of 15,516
More affordable than 23% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,191 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.5×, San Luis sits in the moderate band:
national rank #11,995 of 15,516 and #9,191 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
$30,481San Luis, CO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context San Luis, 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 San Luis, CO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)8.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)35.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)48.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
582
Median Income
$30,481
Median Home Value
$137,500
Median Age
38.7
Poverty Rate
35.8%
Labor force participation
48.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
8.1%
Climate
Avg Temperature
44.0°F
Annual Precipitation
9.0"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
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
San Luis's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
600 residents
2021
618 residents
2022
616 residents
2023
619 residents
2024
628 residents
2025
597 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Low Activity
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
1
1
0
$0.4M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
61.5%
Carpool
22.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
13.3%
Work from Home
2.6%
Based on 195 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 San Luis. 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 San Luis 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 San Luis sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How San Luis 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.