Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,693, settled in 1879.
The best of Crested Butte’s subject grades are an A+ for walkability, health, and civic life; the weakest is a D for cost of living. 76% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Crested Butte, where Colorado’s towns sit at 44% and U.S. towns at 29%. No town in Colorado scores higher than Crested Butte on walkability. 37% of the land in Crested Butte is conserved, above both the Colorado town median (6.9%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 1 of Colorado’s 146 towns score higher on civic life. Crested Butte has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Town of Crested Butte. Crested Butte has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Crested Butte beats most towns.
Where Crested Butte’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Crested Butte is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1890.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crested Butte, 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 Crested Butte.
The typical Crested Butte home is worth about $1,503,000, up 6.8% in a year, 3 times the Colorado typical home. Crested Butte’s median rent is $1,365 a month.
| Crested Butte | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,365 a month | $1,808 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Crested Butte Secondary School, with 400 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crested Butte Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 303 | B+ |
| Crested Butte Secondary SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 400 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
9.6% of Crested Butte adults say their health is fair or poor. Among 160 Colorado towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Crested Butte. 15% of Crested Butte adults report frequent mental distress.
| Crested Butte | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 27% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Crested Butte | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 9.6% | 15.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
About one in 3 of Crested Butte’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Crested Butte is 14 minutes. Jobs based in Crested Butte grew to 1,650 in 2023, 669 more than in 2013.
| Crested Butte | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 7.7% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Big Mine Park | 0.6 mi | 8 |
| 2. Town Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Rainbow Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among 94 Colorado towns, just 2 have a lower property crime rate than Crested Butte. Crested Butte reports less crime per resident than 74% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
| Crested Butte | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Crested Butte has cold, snowy winters and cool summers. Among 160 Colorado towns, just 5 have a lower July high than Crested Butte.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Crested Butte.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Crested Butte; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Crested Butte residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
1,487 counted in 2010 and 1,639 in 2020; an estimated 1,693 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Crested Butte on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Colorado, US
Crested Butte is a home rule town located in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,639 at the 2020 United States census. A former coal mining town nestled in the Slate River Valley, Crested Butte is now known as a destination for skiing, mountain biking, and outdoor activities.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 17.8 years of the area's median household income ($84,527 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
