Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Cripple Creek’s subject grades are an A− for health and history; the weakest is a D− for incomes. Cripple Creek’s concentration of trails is 3.3 miles per square mile, above both the Colorado town median (1.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 5 of Colorado’s 218 towns score higher on history. Mountain View Adventure Park, at 47 acres with 1.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Cripple Creek has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Cripple Creek beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Cripple Creek Historic District| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Cresson Elementary School | PK–5 | 136 |
| Cripple Creek-Victor Junior-Senior High School | 6–12 | 162 |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Cripple Creek is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 10,147 in 1900, a low of 425 in 1970, 1,155 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cripple Creek. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi MountainPikes Peak
Big draw21 mi LandmarkNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
19 mi Park & preserveGarden of the Gods
16 mi MountainCheyenne Mountain
25 mi Stadium & arenaFalcon Stadium
16 mi Scenic railwayThe Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog RailwayPikes 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 · Cheyenne Mountain: Jimmy from Grand Junction, CO, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Falcon Stadium: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway: Milan Suvajac, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cripple Creek, 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 Cripple Creek.
35% of Cripple Creek working residents work locally, where Colorado’s towns sit at 7.7% and U.S. towns at 8%. Cripple Creek: 20% of residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Cripple Creek has lost 1,151 jobs, to 1,356 in 2023. Its typical journey to work comes in at 10 minutes.
| Cripple Creek | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 10 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 7.7% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its two schools are below. The Cripple Creek-Victor School District No. Re-1 runs its public schools. 2 public schools serve Cripple Creek, with 298 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cresson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 136 | B− |
| Cripple Creek-Victor Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 162 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 2.6%. 56% of households are owner-occupiers in Cripple Creek.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The share of adults in Cripple Creek who have diabetes: 10%. This Colorado town beats the Colorado average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. Two figures for adults in the town: 73% had a checkup this year, 32% have high blood pressure.
| Cripple Creek | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 26% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 27% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Cripple Creek | CO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 73.9% | 69.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.3% | 5.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA puts 50% of Cripple Creek’s expected hazard losses down to wildfires, and 26% to inland flooding. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2012.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cripple Creek brings cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 74°, January nights drop to 9° and about 68 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Cripple Creek’s rate of thefts and burglaries comes in at 35.9 per 1,000 residents. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025.
| Cripple Creek | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 35.9 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mountain View Adventure Park | 1.6 mi | 47 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Cripple Creek; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Cripple Creek residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Where Cripple Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 notable people were born in Cripple Creek.
City in Colorado, US
Cripple Creek is the statutory city that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 1,155 at the 2020 United States census. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic Landmark status in 1961, includes all of the city and the surrounding area. The city is now a part of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($90,144 across the Colorado Springs, CO metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
8 notable people were born here, including Bill Butler and Ruth Hiatt.
