Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Carbondale grades B overall, ranked 81st of 158 in Colorado. It is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.4 million, 15 years of the Rifle area’s $96K median household income. Carbondale’s typical home value is $1,430,000, against $531,000 in Colorado’s towns and $332,000 across U.S. towns. Carbondale's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 93% of U.S. towns. Carbondale has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Satank Bridge and Holland-Thompson Property.
Where Carbondale beats most towns.
20.4% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Carbondale is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 6%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 166 in 1890, 6,434 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carbondale, 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 Carbondale.
Carbondale fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Colorado (mostly inland flooding) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Colorado.
At 15 years of the Rifle area’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $1.43M) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Colorado towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Values rose 5% in the past year while the Colorado typical home fell 1.3%.
Carbondale’s median rent is $2,167 a month. Typical home values rose 5% in the year to September 2026. 64% of Carbondale households own their home.
| Carbondale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,167 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 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 Roaring Fork High School, with 472 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal River Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 445 | D |
| Roaring Fork High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 472 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
9.0 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The trail density in Carbondale is 4.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Miners Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Gianinetti Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Sopris Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Colorado it is healthier than 56% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
26% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Carbondale.
| Carbondale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 26% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 27% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Colorado towns, with expected losses of about $837 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Only 9 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Carbondale. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Carbondale since 1995.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 11 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of Colorado’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Carbondale has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 11° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Carbondale has about as many jobs (2,828) as working residents, but only 550 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,993 in 2013 to 2,828.
Most working residents leave Carbondale for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Carbondale grew to 2,828 in 2023, 835 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Aspen (15%), Glenwood Springs (12%) and Basalt (7%).
| Carbondale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 7.5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $108,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 19% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 19% of residents (25% statewide). Carbondale has grown 4.8% since 2020, to 6,762 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 53% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 46% across Colorado.
| Carbondale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 44% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.7 years | 38.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 15% | 18% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.7 points. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Carbondale | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.6% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.7% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.9% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 21.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.1% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.2% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.7% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.4% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 7% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.7% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.9% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22.2% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carbondale. Close and well known come first.
26 mi MountainMaroon Bells
12 mi Canyon & gorgeGlenwood Canyon13 mi Theme parkGlenwood Caverns
39 mi Ski areaBeaver Creek242 runs · 4,046 ft vertical
27 mi Ski areaAspen Mountain138 runs · 3,299 ft vertical20 mi Ski areaAspen Snowmass107 runs · 4,403 ft verticalMaroon Bells: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Glenwood Canyon: White River National Forest U.S. Forest Service, Public domain · Beaver Creek: Unknown, Public domain · Aspen Mountain: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Carbondale
About 3 of every 100 Carbondale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Town in Colorado, US
The Town of Carbondale is a home rule municipality located in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 6,434 at the 2020 United States census. Carbondale is a part of the Rifle, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town is located in the Roaring Fork Valley, downstream from Aspen and upstream from the mouth of the Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs. The town proper sits on the south bank of the river, near its confluence with the Crystal River. Carbondale's horizon is dominated by the 12,953 ft (3,952 m) tall Mount Sopris several miles to the south of town. Carbondale is the northern terminus of the West Elk Loop Scenic and Historic Byway.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Carbondale grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #81 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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