Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The picture is mixed. Safety is its weak spot: it reports more crime per resident than 94% of U.S. towns, including 3,371 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its standout strength is health (A−): residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It is strong on walkability as well — it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. At about $440K, a typical home costs 4.9 years of the Colorado Springs metro’s $90K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to a C− overall, ranking 138th of 158 in Colorado State. Set against the rest, it does better than 21% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Colorado Springs Airport and Glen Eyrie.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Colorado Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 66 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Colorado State towns with a listing.
Census counts: 4,226 in 1880, 478,961 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado State), ordered by how far Colorado Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Colorado Springs. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi MountainPikes Peak
Big draw12 mi LandmarkNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
in town Park & preserveGarden of the Gods
in town Stadium & arenaWeidner Field
10 mi Stadium & arenaFalcon Stadium
11 mi MountainCheyenne MountainPikes Peak: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North American Aerospace Defense Command: Unknown, Public domain · Garden of the Gods: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Weidner Field: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Falcon Stadium: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cheyenne Mountain: Jimmy from Grand Junction, CO, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Colorado Springs, 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 Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs has home values still below their peak and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Colorado State; it also trails Gleneagle and its other neighbors on schools.
Reported crimes fell from 21,462 to 18,230 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Colorado Springs’ level of violent crime is 6.8 per 1,000 residents, above both the Colorado State town median (2.3) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). The level of property crime locally is 29.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Colorado Springs | Colorado State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.9 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, Gleneagle highest at A.
Below: Three of its 163 schools, each with why it was picked. Public school enrollment in Colorado Springs: 5,534 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Classical Academy CharterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 1,909 | A |
| Pine Creek High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,875 | A |
| Cheyenne Mountain High SchoolTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,275 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
For Colorado Springs, the trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile. Count the trails in 193 parks and preserves and they come to 396 miles. Cheyenne Mountain State Park, at 1,111 acres with 18.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Palmer Park | 27.4 mi | 720 |
| 2. Cheyenne Mountain State Park | 18.4 mi | 1,111 |
| 3. Monument Valley Park | 7.2 mi | 153 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Colorado State it is less healthy than 62% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado State sets a high bar.
In Colorado Springs, 13% of adults report frequent physical distress, against 12% in Colorado State’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 74% of Colorado Springs adults had a checkup this year. CDC measures, 26 in all: Colorado Springs beats Colorado State on 1 and trails on 3. Among 159 Colorado State towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Colorado Springs.
| Colorado Springs | Colorado State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 23% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 35% |
| What stands out | Colorado Springs | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 16.5% | 19% |
| More adults sleeping under 7 hours | 35% | 30.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 17° and about 55 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $440K, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
On the market in Colorado Springs: a median 47 days to sell. A typical home locally is worth about $440,000, down 1.5% in a year, 17% below the Colorado State typical home. For households in the town, the share who live in a home they own is 61%.
| Colorado Springs | Colorado State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,648 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs in Colorado Springs grew by 38,439 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 221,264. The top destinations are Denver (6%), Aurora (3%) and Cimarron Hills (1%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 7 miles. Colorado Springs’ average commute is 23 minutes.
| Colorado Springs | Colorado State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 18% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
243 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
On expected storm and flood damage, Colorado Springs sits below 58% of U.S. communities. The town has had 243 paid flood insurance claims since 1978. FEMA puts 55% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 14% to tornadoes. Federal aid has come to Colorado Springs households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among adults 25 and older in Colorado Springs, 43% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. By age, Colorado Springs looks like Colorado State: each broad group is within 4 points. Since 2020, Colorado Springs has grown 3.1%, to 494,743 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The age of the median resident for Colorado Springs comes to 35.7 years.
| Colorado Springs | Colorado State towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.7 years | 38.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 45% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 15% | 18% |
50.0% women, 50.0% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.3 points. Across Colorado State, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.8, men 34.6.
| Colorado Springs | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.4% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.9% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.2% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.4% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.3% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.2% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.3% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.4% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
5 within 15 miles of the center of Colorado Springs
About 7 of every 100 Colorado Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado State.
3 colleges in town.
66 places in Colorado Springs on the National Register of Historic Places.
44 notable people were born in Colorado Springs.
City in Colorado, US
Colorado Springs is a home rule city that is the county seat of and the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous city and most extensive city by area in the state of Colorado, and the 40th-most-populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area, which had 755,105 residents in 2020, and the second-most prominent city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is located in east-central Colorado on Fountain Creek, 70 miles (113 km) south of Denver. At 6,035 feet (1,839 m), the city stands over 1…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Colorado Springs.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Fountain (C−) is closest.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Springs | #138 | C− | C | D | C | A− |
| Stratmoor | #91 | B− | B− | — | B− | B |
| Security-Widefield | #111 | C+ | C | — | C+ | B+ |
| Black Forest | #71 | B | C− | — | A− | A |
| Manitou Springs | #86 | B | C | C | A− | A |
| Gleneagle | #26 | A | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Fountain | #137 | C− | C | C− | B− | B+ |
Stratmoor, Security-Widefield, Black Forest and Gleneagle report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Colorado Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Colorado Springs grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #138 of 158 in Colorado State. It grades A− for health, D for safety and C 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.
44 notable people were born here, including Talcott Parsons and Lon Chaney.
