Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 17,030, laid out in 1858.
Cañon City grades C− overall, 140th among Colorado's 158 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its police reported 140 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. 35% of working residents work locally in Cañon City, where Colorado’s towns sit at 7.5% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Colorado Women's Prison and Canon City State Armory. Among 93 Colorado towns, just 2 have a higher violent crime rate than Cañon City.
Where Cañon City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
McClure House
Its founding year, 1858, comes before those of 98% of the Colorado towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 229 in 1870, 17,141 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Cañon City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cañon City, 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 Cañon City.
Cañon City fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Colorado (mostly inland flooding).
At 50.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 74% of Colorado’s graded towns.
Cañon City’s property crime rate is 33.5 per 1,000 residents. Cañon City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Fremont Re-1 school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 472 | C+ |
| Canon City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 936 | B |
| Canon Exploratory SchoolTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 316 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $1,187, against $2,602 across Colorado, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Cañon City home is worth about $326,000, down 1.8% in a year, 38% below the Colorado typical home. The median rent in Cañon City is $997 a month.
| Cañon City | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $997 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of Colorado towns, with expected losses of about $205 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2009, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cañon City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cañon City has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 19° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Cañon City | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Park | 0.1 mi | 13 |
| 2. Veterans Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Rudd Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 6,806 working residents takes 18.7 minutes, against 25.2 across Colorado.
About one in 3 of Cañon City’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Cañon City grew to 6,919 in 2023, 1,091 more than in 2013. 13% of residents live below the poverty line in Cañon City.
| Cañon City | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 11% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,900 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cañon City’s, it is healthier than 78%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Within Colorado it is less healthy than 85% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
Cañon City beats the Colorado average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 16% of Cañon City adults report frequent physical distress.
| Cañon City | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 71% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cañon City | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.6% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.4% | 69.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.9% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Cañon City; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Cañon City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
16 places in Cañon City on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Cañon City.
Home rule city in Fremont County, Colorado, United States
Cañon City ( KAN-yən) is the home rule city that is the county seat of and the most populous municipality in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 17,141 at the 2020 United States census. Cañon City is the principal city of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area and it is a part of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Cañon City straddles the easterly flowing Arkansas River and is a popular tourist destination for sightseeing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing. The city is known for its many public parks, fossil discoveries, Skyline Drive, The Royal Gorge Railroad, the Royal Gorge, and extensive natural hiking paths. In 1994, the United States Board on Ge…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Cañon City.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cañon City | #140 | C− | C+ | D | B | B |
| Lincoln Park | #141 | C− | B− | — | B | C+ |
| Park Center | #120 | C+ | C | — | B | B |
Lincoln Park and Park Center report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Cañon City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cañon City grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #140 of 158 in Colorado. It grades B for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
4 notable people were born here, including Emory S. Land and Jan Angel.
