Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,051.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Gunbarrel grades A overall, 12th among Colorado's 158 graded towns. It has 15 miles of trail and 55% conserved land. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally and its schools outperform 93% of the state's. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $821K, 7.9 years of the Boulder metro’s $104K median household income. 55% of the land in Gunbarrel is conserved, above both the Colorado town median (6.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Gunbarrel is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. Martha Weiser House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Gunbarrel beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Gunbarrel | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 11.1% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Heatherwood Elementary School | PK–5 | 252 |
| Hillside School | 1–9 | 75 |
55.3% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Gunbarrel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,172 in 1980, 9,554 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1904 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Gunbarrel is unincorporated, so Boulder 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 Gunbarrel.
Gunbarrel has schools in the top 5% of Colorado and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Colorado, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Colorado.
Its 2,220 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Colorado town. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #1 of 159 in Colorado.
The biggest place to walk is Twin Lakes, 84 acres with 2.7 miles of trail. 15 miles of trail wind through 7 parks and preserves. Gunbarrel’s concentration of trails stands at 2.4 miles per square mile, above both Colorado’s towns (1.3) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Twin Lakes | 2.7 mi | 84 |
| 2. Meadow Creek Apartment | 0.4 mi | 5 |
| 3. Fountain Greens Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade ranks #6 of the 159 Colorado towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $821K.
The public schools here belong to the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2. Its two schools are below. Gunbarrel’s only public school teaches 252 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heatherwood Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 252 | A− |
| Hillside School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 1–9 | Grades 1–9 | 75 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Colorado is no health insurance: 5.6% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 11.1% statewide.
Gunbarrel beats the Colorado average on 15 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. Only 2 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Gunbarrel. The share of adults in Gunbarrel who smoke cigarettes: 7.6%.
| Gunbarrel | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 26% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 16% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 27% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gunbarrel | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 10.1% | 17.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gunbarrel has 1,091 jobs for its 4,009 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 707 in 2013 to 1,091.
Commuting out is the norm in Gunbarrel: 3% of working residents work locally. Jobs in Gunbarrel grew by 384 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 1,091. In Gunbarrel, the typical journey to work is 22 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 6 miles.
| Gunbarrel | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $109,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 7.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gunbarrel’s natural-hazard score from FEMA comes in at 25 of 100. Expected losses in Gunbarrel break down as 48% from inland flooding and 16% from tornadoes. It has had 5 paid flood insurance claims since 1995.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 7.9 years of the Boulder metro’s $104K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 78% of Colorado towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $4,079, against $2,602 across Colorado, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
A home in Gunbarrel typically sold within 43 days of listing. Its typical rent stands at $1,972 a month. 63% of households live in a home they own here.
| Gunbarrel | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,972 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gunbarrel. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
23 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
22 mi National ParkRocky Mountain National Park4.2M visitors a year
6 mi Stadium & arenaFolsom Field
23 mi Stadium & arenaCoors FieldRed Rocks Amphitheatre: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Empower Field at Mile High: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ball Arena: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Rocky Mountain National Park: Charles M. Sauer -- Charlessauer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Folsom Field: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Coors Field: Matt Kozlowski, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Gunbarrel
About 9 of every 100 Gunbarrel residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Where Gunbarrel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
One town shares a border with Gunbarrel.
Gunbarrel reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Gunbarrel with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Gunbarrel grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #12 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $821,000, 55% above the Colorado typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
