Households in Columbine have higher incomes than those in 92% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Columbine are A for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. Poverty touches 4.3% of residents (Colorado 9.4%). Only 4% work in Columbine; the top destination outside it is Denver (24%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Columbine, in a few figures
Columbine and Denver trade workers both ways
Denver is the top workplace for Columbine residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in Columbine come from (15% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Columbine empties out on a workday
About 17,000 people are in Columbine on a workday afternoon, 33% fewer than the 25,000 who live here: 12,000 head out to work and 3,700 come in. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Inside Columbine’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Columbine is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #35 of 159 in Colorado. Household income is its strongest input ($131,232, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Columbine could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Where Columbine’s working residents head each day
Where Columbine clocks in
24% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
How a workday changes Columbine
On a workday 12,027 residents head out to work, 474 work right here, and 3,686 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in Columbine on a workday afternoon, 33% fewer than live here.
0.33 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What the 4,160 jobs in Columbine are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Columbine, 2013 → 2023: 3,605 → 4,160. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Columbine’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Columbine: about 26 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Columbine workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,986 commuters (the 22% who work from home are left out). Across Colorado: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many miles Columbine commutes
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Few in Columbine walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Columbine is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns, #95 of 159 in Colorado. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 6.4% across Colorado.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,866 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 45% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.0% of Columbine households have no vehicle (Colorado 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Columbine’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Columbine is 262nd among 1,516 U.S. towns of 18,000 to 34,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 131 | Dakota Ridge CO | 33,753 | $121K | 4.4% | 2.8% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 179 | Frederick CO | 18,241 | $129K | 3.3% | 3.4% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 187 | Louisville CO | 20,581 | $147K | 4.5% | 3.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 260 | Gorham ME | 19,239 | $112K | 3.7% | 2.6% | 13% | A |
| 261 | Lower Providence Township PA | 26,242 | $119K | 4.4% | 4.2% | 7% | A |
| 262 | Columbine CO | 25,478 | $131K | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4% | A |
| 263 | Farmington UT | 26,266 | $127K | 5.4% | 3.2% | 10% | A |
| 264 | Watertown CT | 22,526 | $102K | 4.3% | 3.0% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,516 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Columbine, the top three, the last and three more from Colorado.
Columbine and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Littleton (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Columbine workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbine | – | A | B+ | 26 min | $131,232 |
| Littleton | 6% | A | A | 25 min | $98,839 |
| Ken Caryl | 2% | A | A− | 28 min | $118,269 |
| Columbine Valley | under 3% | A+ | B | 24 min | $250,000+ |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Columbine’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Columbine: questions
What is the median household income in Columbine?
$131,232 (±$8,196) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Columbine?
4.3%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Columbine?
26 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Columbine work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Denver (24%, 16 mi), Lakewood (10%, 8 mi), Littleton (6%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Columbine walkable?
Columbine is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Columbine without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Columbine, from the people who make the trip.
More of Columbine
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.