Colorado›Phillips County

AmherstCO

A town of 82, established in 1887.

Population

Census survey, 2020–24

Median age

26.9

years

Is Amherst a good place to live?

Amherst has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

82 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Venango · 9 mi Holyoke · 10 mi Lamar · 13 mi Paoli · 16 mi Julesburg · 21 mi Ovid · 22 mi

Getting set up

Moving to Amherst: who provides what

Amherst is unincorporated, so Phillips County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerHighline Electric Assn15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesPhillips CountyPhillips County provides services here

SchoolsHolyoke School District RE-1JWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn Colorado you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 8 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections herePhillips County Clerk and RecorderPhillips County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025

ZIP code8072180721 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Amherst.

Climate

Four seasons and hot summers in Amherst

Its peak summer temperature is 90°F.

30″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter16–42°

Spring35–63°

Summer58–87°

Fall36–66°

Oct 3

typical first frost

May 11

typical last frost

+1.3°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageAmherst’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 90°, January lows 15°Rain & snow30″ of snow a winter · 18 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.3° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

Top of a low hazard risk in Amherst: drought

27% of Amherst’s expected losses from natural hazards come from drought, followed by inland flooding at 24%. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in 63% of U.S. communities.

37risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

DroughtInland floodingTornadoes

Full pageAmherst’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesLow risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters4 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready68 events a year, on average · Ready for drought

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Health

Amherst stands out in Colorado and nationally: a larger share of its adults smoke cigarettes

Among adults 18 to 64 in Amherst, 12% have no health insurance, against 10% in Colorado’s towns and 8.1% across U.S. towns. Amherst: 16% of adults binge drink.

	Amherst	Colorado towns	U.S. towns
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	16%	12%	14%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	17%	11%	14%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	22%	15%	19%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	13%	8.4%	12%