Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fountain grades C− overall, ranked 137th of 158 in Colorado, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 22 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 69% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Only 12 of Colorado’s 146 towns score lower on civic life. Old Livery Stable is on the National Register of Historic Places. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 4 have a lower median age than Fountain.
Where Fountain beats most towns.
25,846 counted in 2010 and 29,802 in 2020; an estimated 29,450 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Fountain is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1859, comes before those of 89% of the Colorado towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 99 in 1880, 29,802 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1929 and 4 maps from 1948 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fountain. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi LandmarkNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
Big draw22 mi MountainPikes Peak
17 mi Park & preserveGarden of the Gods
11 mi MountainCheyenne Mountain
12 mi Stadium & arenaWeidner Field
23 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fountain, 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 Fountain.
Fountain fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally, has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Colorado and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Colorado.
At 36.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 62% of Colorado’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 728 to 600 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 3.7 per 1,000 residents, Fountain’s violent crime rate is above both Colorado’s towns (2.3) and U.S. towns (1.6). The property crime rate in Fountain is 16.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Fountain | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Fountain School District No. 8. Two of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,051 | C |
| Fountain-Fort Carson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,974 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 4,666 in 2013 to 6,603.
Most working residents leave Fountain for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2013, Fountain has added 1,937 jobs, to 6,603 in 2023. At 27 minutes, Fountain’s average trip to work is where Colorado’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
| Fountain | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 11% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Colorado it is less healthy than 68% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
Fountain beats the Colorado average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Fountain. Only 1 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Fountain.
| Fountain | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 27% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 23% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Fountain | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 7.8% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4% | 5.1% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 20.1% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical value, about $385K, is 8% below its July 2022 peak. 71% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.9% across Colorado.
The typical Fountain home is worth about $385,000, down 1% in a year, 27% below the Colorado typical home. Fountain’s median rent is $1,745 a month.
| Fountain | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,745 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Since 1985, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fountain.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Fountain Creek Regional Park, at 76 acres.
| Fountain | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cross Creek Regional Park | 1 mi | 58 |
| 2. Fountain Creek Regional Park | — | 76 |
| 3. John Metcalf Memorial Park | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Colorado Springs Muni Ap weather station, 8 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.
Fountain 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
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fountain
About 8 of every 100 Fountain residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Where Fountain’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 notable people were born in Fountain.
City in Colorado, US
The City of Fountain is a home rule city located in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 29,802 at the 2020 census. Fountain is a part of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. Fountain is located 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Colorado Springs and just east of Fort Carson. Fountain and the Colorado Springs suburbs Security and Widefield make up the "Fountain Valley" community.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Fountain.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain | #137 | C− | C | C− | B− | B+ |
| Security-Widefield | #111 | C+ | C | — | C+ | B+ |
| Stratmoor | #91 | B− | B− | — | B− | B |
| Fort Carson | #115 | C+ | D− | — | B | A |
| Colorado Springs | #138 | C− | C | D | C | A− |
Security-Widefield, Stratmoor and Fort Carson report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fountain with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fountain grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #137 of 158 in Colorado. It grades B+ for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.3 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 C.
4 notable people were born here, including Jon Watts and G'Angelo Hancock.
