Bethune, Colorado, 2014
Bethune’s story
137 years in pictures
Census counts: 97 in 1930, 183 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
- 1889Bethune is settled
BethuneCO
A town of 190, settled in 1889.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
Population
190
2025 Census estimate · +3.8% since 2020
Median home value
$128K
Census ACS
Household income
$35K
median
Median age
33.9
years
Jobs based here
36
A commuter town
Is Bethune a good place to live?
33% of residents live below the poverty line in Bethune, where Colorado’s towns sit at 8.4% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. No town among the 160 in Colorado we compare has a higher share of children under 18 than Bethune. Bethune’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile, above both Colorado’s towns (1.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). Bethune has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
190 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bethune: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bethune, and how to reach them.
PowerK C Electric Association13.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Bethune water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bethune’s trash rules yet
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.govWho runs elections hereKit Carson County Clerk and RecorderKit Carson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8080580805 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 Bethune.
Schools
The schools Bethune’s kids attend
Public schools: Bethune School District No. R- 5. Its one school is below. 99 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethune Public SchoolsLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 99 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Bethune has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from cold waves
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 82% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Bethune, 26% come from cold waves and 26% from inland flooding.
18risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Bethune has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Half the trips to work are shorter than 13 miles. Bethune’s average trip to work is 14 minutes. The top destinations are Burlington (38%), Limon (6%) and Boulder (4%).
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Bethune0%
Burlington38%
Limon6%
Boulder4%
Fort Lupton3%
13 mi
median commute distance
36
jobs based in Bethune
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Bethune, expect four seasons and hot summers
Bethune’s peak summer temperature comes in at 90°F.
34″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–45°
Spring36–65°
Summer58–88°
Fall38–67°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 6
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Bethune is
In Bethune, just over a third of adults sleep under 7 hours. Against the Colorado average, Bethune comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 26, and behind on 14. Two figures for adults locally: 22% say their health is fair or poor, 12% have diabetes.
| Bethune | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 8.4% | 12% |
26 measures vs. Colorado
2 better10 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Bethune | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.6% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 74.2% | 69.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.8% | 9.2% |
Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital
8.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Bethune is conserved land
Across 1 park or preserve: 0.5 miles of trail. One park or preserve covers 3 acres in Bethune.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 104 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 2.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bethune Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bethune
17pages on Bethune
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bethune; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Bethune residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Bethune for work
Where Bethune’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
36jobs based in Bethune
0%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Bethune
Statutory town in Kit Carson County, Colorado, United States
Bethune is a statutory town located in Kit Carson County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 183 at the 2020 United States census. It is located along U.S. Highway 24 that is north of an exit on Interstate 70.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 4,259 ft
- ZIP code
- 80805
- Area code
- 719
Questions about Bethune
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bethune, CO a good place to live?
Bethune has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.