Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Alamosa’s household incomes are lower than in 88% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 13.2 in Denver. 15.9% of residents are in poverty, against 9.4% across Colorado. For jobs and income Alamosa is better than 17% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (A).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Alamosa and work: the main findings
Commutes from Alamosa are quick
The average trip to work takes 14 minutes, against 25 across Colorado. That’s about 84 hours a year less on the road than the typical Colorado worker. Time on the road ↓
Few Alamosa workers work from home
Only 4% of workers work from home, against 21% across Colorado. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
31% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: Alamosa’s grade explained
Unemployment holds Alamosa’s grade up (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($49,688, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Alamosa could be anywhere from D to C+.
From Alamosa, about 14 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alamosa workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,118 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Colorado: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Alamosa
About 31% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily commute in and out of Alamosa
On a workday 1,954 residents head out to work, 1,626 work right here, and 3,644 people come in from elsewhere.
About 12,000 people are in Alamosa on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.47 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Alamosa goes to work
Where Alamosa clocks in
4% of workers
3% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What the 5,270 jobs in Alamosa are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alamosa, 2013 → 2023: 4,580 → 5,270. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Alamosa’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Alamosa is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,301 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 29% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 41% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 10.6% of Alamosa households have no vehicle (Colorado 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Alamosa’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 6,900 to 13,300, Alamosa ranks 2,437th of 2,761 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Cherry Creek CO | 10,721 | $154K | 5.0% | 1.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 94 | Fairmount CO | 9,902 | $164K | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 104 | Timnath CO | 11,600 | $178K | 4.4% | 0.6% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,435 | Rushville Township IN | 7,672 | $58K | 15.4% | 6.4% | 25% | C− |
| 2,436 | Licking Township IN | 7,506 | $47K | 19.2% | 5.0% | 25% | C− |
| 2,437 | Alamosa CO | 9,849 | $50K | 15.9% | 4.4% | 45% | C− |
| 2,438 | Wellington KS | 7,541 | $50K | 16.4% | 7.0% | 36% | C− |
| 2,439 | Fulton NY | 11,188 | $52K | 23.5% | 6.5% | 18% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,761 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Alamosa, the top three, the last and three more from Colorado.
Around Alamosa: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Alamosa East (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alamosa workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamosa | – | C− | A | 14 min | $49,688 |
| Alamosa East | 2% | D | C+ | 15 min | $76,683 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alamosa’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Alamosa: questions
What is the median household income in Alamosa?
$49,688 (±$6,281) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alamosa?
15.9%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alamosa?
14 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alamosa work?
45% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Denver (4%, 167 mi), Monte Vista (3%, 17 mi), Colorado Springs (3%, 114 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Alamosa walkable?
Alamosa is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.5 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Alamosa without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alamosa, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alamosa
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.