Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,019, settled in 1942.
Homes are expensive, about for a typical one and times the Colorado Springs metro’s $90K median household income. Overall it grades C+, 115th among Colorado's 158 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Fort Carson’s average trip to work is 11 minutes, below both the Colorado town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town in Colorado scores lower than Fort Carson on cost of living. Fort Carson is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Fort Carson beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Fort Carson | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.3% | 7.8% |
13,813 counted in 2010 and 17,693 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Fort Carson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 19,399 in 1970, 17,693 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1984 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fort Carson. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town LandmarkNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
Big draw19 mi MountainPikes Peak
15 mi Park & preserveGarden of the Gods
8 mi MountainCheyenne Mountain
11 mi Stadium & arenaWeidner Field
22 mi Stadium & arenaFalcon StadiumNorth American Aerospace Defense Command: Unknown, Public domain · Pikes Peak: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Garden of the Gods: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cheyenne Mountain: Jimmy from Grand Junction, CO, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Weidner Field: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Falcon Stadium: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fort Carson is unincorporated, so El Paso County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Fort Carson.
Fort Carson has less cancer than most of Colorado, has commutes shorter than most of Colorado and has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Colorado.
Its public schools are run by the Fountain School District No. 8. One of its 5 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weikel Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 814 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
59 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Fort Carson is 2.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Iron Horse Park, at 21 acres.
| Fort Carson | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.1 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Founder's Field | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 2. Iron Horse Park | 0.1 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Colorado is cancer: 1.3% of its 13,242 adults have had cancer, against 7.8% statewide. Within Colorado it is less healthy than 54% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
2.3% of adults have diabetes in Fort Carson. Of the 159 Colorado towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Fort Carson. 24% of adults have obesity in Fort Carson.
| Fort Carson | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 2.3% | 8.5% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 27% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fort Carson | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.3% | 7.8% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 1.1% | 5.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 26.4% | 69.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Colorado Springs Muni Ap weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 158 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 81% of Colorado places with climate records.
Fort Carson has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 18° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 2,800 working residents takes 11 minutes, against 25.2 across Colorado. Jobs based here grew from 1,424 in 2013 to 2,231.
Most working residents leave Fort Carson for work: only 2% work in town. 15% of Fort Carson residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Fort Carson has added 807 jobs, to 2,231 in 2023.
| Fort Carson | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 7.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Fort Carson
About 14 of every 100 Fort Carson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
6 notable people were born in Fort Carson.
US Army post in Colorado, United States
Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs in El Paso County. Fort Carson is the home of the 4th Infantry Division, the 10th Special Forces Group, the 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), the 440th Civil Affairs Battalion (USAR), the 71st Ordnance Group (EOD), the 4th Engineer Battalion, the 759th Military Police Battalion, the 10th Combat Support Hospital, the 43rd Sustainment Brigade, the Army Field Support Battalion-Fort Carson, the 423rd Transportation Company (USAR) and the 13th A…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Fort Carson.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Carson | #115 | C+ | D− | — | B | A |
| Fountain | #137 | C− | C | C− | B− | B+ |
Fort Carson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Fort Carson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fort Carson grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #115 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A for health and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
6 notable people were born here, including Khiry Shelton and Kylee Shook.
