Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,836, settled in 1876. 2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Colorado town.
Trash day: look up yoursGunnison's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades B−, 93rd of 158 graded towns in Colorado. Residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its public schools beat 75% of Colorado towns on state tests and graduation. Its weakest subject is safety: its police reported 16 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 88% of U.S. towns. 42% of working residents work locally in Gunnison, against 7.5% in Colorado’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Gunnison's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns. Gunnison is home to Western Colorado University.
Where Gunnison beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Gunnison is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for safety (better than 12%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 888 in 1880, 6,560 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gunnison, 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 Gunnison.
Gunnison is shaped by its college students, fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns.
13 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Gunnison’s trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Jorgensen Park, at 33 acres.
| Gunnison | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.7 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.1% | 6.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jorgensen Park | 0.3 mi | 33 |
| 2. American Legion Memorial Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Meadows Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Gunnison Watershed School District Re1J. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gunnison High School, with 410 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunnison Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 560 | C− |
| Gunnison High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 410 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
At 45.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 71% of Colorado’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Gunnison is 30.9 per 1,000 residents. Gunnison reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less.
| Gunnison | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.9 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Colorado it is less healthy than 58% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
67% of adults had a checkup this year in Gunnison. Gunnison beats the Colorado average on 7 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 21% of adults have high blood pressure in Gunnison.
| Gunnison | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 67% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 27% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.2% | 8.5% | 12% |
| What stands out | Gunnison | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.6% | 7.8% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 6.2% | 8.6% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 19.8% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Blue Mesa Lake weather station, 14 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 96 days, shorter than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 0.4°, colder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 81.8°.
Gunnison has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. About 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Values rose 2.6% in the past year while the Colorado typical home fell 1.3%. Home values rose 26% in five years, to about $622K, against 6% across Colorado.
The typical Gunnison home is worth about $622,000, 18% above the Colorado typical home. 49% of Gunnison households own their home.
| Gunnison | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,230 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 3,376 working residents takes 18.4 minutes, against 25.2 across Colorado. Jobs based here grew from 2,580 in 2013 to 3,437.
Jobs based in Gunnison grew to 3,437 in 2023, 857 more than in 2013. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 6 have a higher share of residents below the poverty line than Gunnison. The top destinations are Crested Butte (8%), Denver (4%) and Mount Crested Butte (3%).
| Gunnison | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.8% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gunnison.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gunnison
College town 26 of every 100 Gunnison residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
5,854 counted in 2010 and 6,560 in 2020; an estimated 6,836 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in Gunnison on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Gunnison.
City in Colorado, United States
Gunnison is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the most populous municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 6,560 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named in honor of John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer who surveyed for a transcontinental railroad in 1853. Gunnison is a college town, home to Western Colorado University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gunnison grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #93 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A− for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 7.4 years of the area's median household income ($84,527 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Patricia Elliott and Donna Anderson.
