DeerCreekGolfClub, 2009
Ken Caryl’s story
Ken Caryl in pictures
Census counts: 10,661 in 1980, 33,811 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 5 maps from 1942 on.
Explore the history →
Ken CarylCO
A town of 33,233.
2 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0
Population
33,233
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$600K
Census ACS
Household income
$118K
median
Median age
41.8
years
Jobs based here
10,423
A commuter town
TownGrade
A
#11 of 158 in CO
Is Ken Caryl a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ken Caryl grades A overall, 11th among Colorado's 158 graded towns. It is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns. The median household earns $118K and its public schools beat 78% of Colorado towns on state tests and graduation. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $600K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. 18% of the land in Ken Caryl is conserved, against 6.8% in Colorado’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Ken Caryl has 1 place on the National Register. Ken Caryl is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns.
What makes Ken Caryl stand out
Where Ken Caryl beats most towns.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Ken Caryl for work
Where Ken Caryl’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
10,423jobs based in Ken Caryl
6%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ken Caryl grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Ken Caryl is from typical.
HealthUchealth Highlands Ranch Hospital 6 miles awayA+Open →Jobs & incomeAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.3 of 20; 1.3% of households have no carA−Open →Cost of livingC−Open →SchoolsA−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 95 attractions →Red Rocks Amphitheatre and 60 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ken Caryl. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
13 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
3 mi LandmarkColumbine Memorial
14 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
13 mi Theme parkElitch Gardens Theme ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Red 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 · Columbine Memorial: Denverjeffrey, CC BY 3.0 · Coors Field: Matt Kozlowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Elitch Gardens Theme Park: USGS, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Ken Caryl: who provides what
Ken Caryl is unincorporated, so Jefferson County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerXcel Energy15.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSouthwest Metropolitan WSDNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet11 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesJefferson CountyJefferson County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Colorado you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereJefferson County Clerk and RecorderJefferson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes80128, 80127, 8012380128 52% · 80127 34% · 80123 14%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ken Caryl.
Ken Caryl has less tooth loss than most of Colorado, has added a third more jobs in ten years and has a shorter frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Colorado.
HealthA+
For health, Ken Caryl earns an A+
Its widest gap with Colorado is tooth loss: 5.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.2% statewide.
12% of Ken Caryl adults get no exercise outside work, where Colorado’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 25%. 21% of Ken Caryl adults binge drink. Ken Caryl beats the Colorado average on 8 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
97%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
| Ken Caryl | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 26% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
26 measures vs. Colorado
8 better17 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Ken Caryl | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.7% | 9.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.9% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.6% | 7.8% |
Uchealth Highlands Ranch Hospital
6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
78th
percentile among CO towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsA−
For schools, Ken Caryl earns an A−
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson County School District No. R-1. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
78%of CO districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon Bluffs Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 567 | B |
| Chatfield High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,808 | A+ |
| Shaffer Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 497 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Most of Ken Caryl’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here grew from 7,799 in 2013 to 10,423.
Most working residents leave Ken Caryl for work: only 6% work in town. 27% of workers work from home in Ken Caryl. Since 2013, Ken Caryl has added 2,624 jobs, to 10,423 in 2023.
6%work in town
| Ken Caryl | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $118,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Ken Caryl6%
Denver23%
Lakewood11%
Aurora5%
Littleton5%
12 mi
median commute distance
10,423
jobs based in Ken Caryl
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsA+
For the outdoors, Ken Caryl earns an A+
8.7 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. The South Hogback Open Space, at 598 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Ken Caryl’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile.
#109for trails in CO
18%
conserved · 1,129 of 6,279 acres
8.7 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The South Hogback Open Space | 1.5 mi | 598 |
| 2. Sanctuary Park | 0.4 mi | 13 |
| 3. Deer Creek Park | 0.3 mi | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
In Ken Caryl, expect four seasons and hot summers
The Marston Fltr Plt weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 160 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 89% of Colorado places with climate records.
Ken Caryl has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 19° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
34″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–47°
Spring35–63°
Summer55–86°
Fall37–67°
Oct 11
typical first frost
May 2
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Fewer young adults than Colorado overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (25% statewide). 51% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 46% across Colorado. The median age in Ken Caryl is 41.8 years.
41.8median age · CO 37.7
| Ken Caryl | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 51% | 44% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.8 years | 38.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 15% | 18% |
Ken CarylColoradoUnited States
Ages · share of residents
16%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school16%
Some college21%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s32%
Graduate18%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.2 points. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.6, men 40.4.
| Ken Caryl | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.4% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.6% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.1% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.1% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 21% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 32.4% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.1% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Moderate risk in Ken Caryl, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ken Caryl.
51risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHailTornadoes
3
paid flood claims since 1983
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade C−
For cost of living, Ken Caryl earns a C−
$612Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
18
days on market
100%
sale-to-list price
67
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ken Caryl
17pages on Ken Caryl
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
13 within 15 miles of the center of Ken Caryl
Denver SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Littleton5.1 miArapahoe Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Littleton5.5 mi$4,434 in-state tuitionMetropolitan State University of DenverUniversity or college · Public · Denver12.9 mi$11,124 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Ken Caryl residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
About Ken Caryl
Census-designated place in Jefferson County, CO, USA
Ken Caryl, commonly known as Ken Caryl Ranch, is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Ken Caryl CDP was 33,811 at the 2020 census. The Ken Caryl Ranch Metropolitan District and the Ken Caryl Ranch Water District provide services. The Littleton post office (Zip code 80127) serves the area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 9.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,761 ft
Ken Caryl’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Ken Caryl.
Dakota RidgeColumbineKen Caryl
How the neighbors grade
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Caryl | #11 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Dakota Ridge | #14 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Columbine | #20 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
Ken Caryl, Dakota Ridge and Columbine report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ken Caryl with a neighbor →
Questions about Ken Caryl
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ken Caryl, CO a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ken Caryl grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #11 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A+ for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Ken Caryl, CO expensive?
Yes. The typical home is worth about $600,000, 13% 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 C−.