Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,009, settled in 1895.
Homes are expensive, about $1.5 million for a typical one and 14 times the Edwards area’s $104K median household income. Overall it grades B−, ranked 104th of 158 in Colorado. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns and it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. Basalt’s typical home value is $1,453,000, against $531,000 in Colorado’s towns and $332,000 across U.S. towns. Basalt's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns. Glassier Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Basalt beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Basalt is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 382 in 1900, a low of 148 in 1930, 3,984 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Basalt, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Basalt.
Basalt fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Colorado (mostly avalanches) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Colorado.
At 14 years of the Edwards area’s $104K median household income, the typical home (about $1.45M) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Colorado towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Values rose 7.5% in the past year while the Colorado typical home fell 1.3%.
The median rent in Basalt is $2,257 a month. Typical home values rose 7.5% in the year to September 2026. 59% of Basalt households own their home.
| Basalt | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,257 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Roaring Fork School District No. Re-1. The largest public high school is Basalt High School, with 414 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basalt Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 539 | C+ |
| Basalt High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 414 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
23% of adults have obesity in Basalt. Basalt beats the Colorado average on 5 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 25% of adults have high blood pressure in Basalt.
| Basalt | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 26% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 27% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Basalt | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7% | 9.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.6% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Basalt’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile.
| Basalt | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.0 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Linear Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Colorado towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1984, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Basalt.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Basalt has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 12° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Basalt has about as many jobs (2,412) as working residents, but only 268 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,643 in 2013 to 2,412.
Most working residents leave Basalt for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Basalt has added 769 jobs, to 2,412 in 2023. The top destinations are Aspen (26%), Snowmass Village (10%) and Denver (5%).
| Basalt | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.6% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $106,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 7.5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 18.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 69% of Colorado’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 63 to 28 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Basalt. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi MountainMount Elbert
21 mi MountainMaroon Bells
32 mi Ski areaBeaver Creek242 runs · 4,046 ft vertical
19 mi Ski areaAspen Mountain138 runs · 3,299 ft vertical13 mi Ski areaAspen Snowmass107 runs · 4,403 ft vertical
17 mi Canyon & gorgeGlenwood CanyonMount Elbert: Hogs555 (talk · contribs), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maroon Bells: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Beaver Creek: Unknown, Public domain · Aspen Mountain: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Glenwood Canyon: White River National Forest U.S. Forest Service, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Basalt; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Basalt residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado.
Town in Colorado, US
Basalt is a home rule town located in Eagle and Pitkin counties, Colorado, United States. The town population was 3,984 at the 2020 United States census with 2,917 residing in Eagle County and 1,067 residing in Pitkin County. Basalt is a part of the Edwards-Glenwood Springs, CO Combined Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Basalt.
El Jebel reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Basalt with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Basalt grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #104 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A+ for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
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