Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 71,827, settled in 1882.
Grand Junction grades C+ overall, ranked 118th of 158 in Colorado, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low and it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its police reported 385 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. 67% of working residents work locally in Grand Junction, where Colorado’s towns sit at 7.5% and U.S. towns at 8%. Grand Junction has 12 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them North Seventh Street Historic Residential District and Serpents Trail. Only 2 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher July high than Grand Junction.
Where Grand Junction beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 2,030 in 1890, 65,560 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Grand Junction is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grand Junction, 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 Grand Junction.
Grand Junction carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Colorado (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Clifton and beyond and fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally.
49,433 jobs are based in Grand Junction, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.8 minutes, against 25.2 across Colorado.
The average trip to work in Grand Junction is 16 minutes. Jobs based in Grand Junction grew to 49,433 in 2023, 7,160 more than in 2013. The median household income in Grand Junction is $70,000.
| Grand Junction | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 12% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. Three of its 28 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard Mesa Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 560 | C− |
| Grand Junction High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,832 | B |
| New Emerson School at ColumbusTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 138 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
87 miles of trail in 32 parks and preserves. Grand Junction’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile. Canyon View Park, at 114 acres with 3.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Grand Junction | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.1 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.5% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Canyon View Park | 3.8 mi | 114 |
| 2. Matchett Park | 3 mi | 62 |
| 3. Kindred Reserve | 1.5 mi | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 50.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 74% of Colorado’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 2,560 to 2,074 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Grand Junction reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
| Grand Junction | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 97% of Colorado towns, with expected losses of about $150 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Among 159 Colorado towns, just 5 have a lower FEMA risk score than Grand Junction. Since 1983, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grand Junction.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,507 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grand Junction’s, it is healthier than 91%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Colorado it is less healthy than 66% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
Grand Junction beats the Colorado average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 71% of Grand Junction adults had a checkup this year.
| Grand Junction | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 71% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 35% |
| What stands out | Grand Junction | CO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.9% | 9.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.8% | 5.3% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.4% | 2.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 94.8°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 18.3°.
Grand Junction has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Grand Junction home is worth about $420,000, up 1.4% in a year, 21% below the Colorado typical home. 64% of households own their home in Grand Junction.
| Grand Junction | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,142 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 71% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 21% of residents (16% statewide). Grand Junction has grown 9.4% since 2020, to 71,827 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 46% across Colorado.
| Grand Junction | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 15% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 45% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.4 years | 38.3 years | 40.5 years |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1 point. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 41.9, men 39.1.
| Grand Junction | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.5% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.7% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.7% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.9% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.3% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.7% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.9% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.4% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.6% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grand Junction. Close and well known come first.
5 mi National MonumentColorado National Monument483K visitors a year
34 mi MountainGrand Mesa22 mi Ski areaPowderhorn56 runs · 1,653 ft vertical
in town MuseumCAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum
in town MuseumCross Orchards Historic Site
10 mi MuseumFruita MuseumColorado National Monument: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Grand Mesa: DrunkDriver, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CAF Rocky Mountain Wing Museum: Airbase1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cross Orchards Historic Site: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fruita Museum: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Grand Junction
About 9 of every 100 Grand Junction residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
12 places in Grand Junction on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in Grand Junction.
City in and seat of Mesa County, Colorado, USA
Grand Junction is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the largest city in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction's population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States census, making it the most populous city in western Colorado and the 17th most populous Colorado municipality overall. As western Colorado's largest city, Grand Junction is the economic and cultural center of the Western Slope region. The city is a transportation hub, situated at the convergence of Interstate 70, U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 6. Grand Junction is also home to Colorado Mesa University, enrolling nearly 10,000 students annually. The city is the anchor of the Grand Junction metrop…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Grand Junction.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction | #118 | C+ | C+ | D | B | B+ |
| Redlands | #99 | B− | C− | — | B | A |
| Orchard Mesa | #85 | B | C+ | — | B | B+ |
| Clifton | #130 | C | B− | — | B | C+ |
| Fruitvale | #80 | B | C+ | — | B | B+ |
Redlands, Orchard Mesa, Clifton and Fruitvale report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Grand Junction with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Grand Junction grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #118 of 158 in Colorado. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 5.7 years of the area's median household income ($73,658 across the Grand Junction, 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+.
21 notable people were born here, including Marilyn Ferguson and Rebecca Ward.
