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
33,233 people live in this town in Colorado.
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?
Much to like here, and you pay for it. Overall, Ken Caryl earns an A, which places it 11th of 158 in Colorado. Set against the rest, it does better than 90% of U.S. towns. Health is its strong suit: residents are healthier than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It is strong on incomes as well (A): the median household earns $118K. The drawback is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $600K, 5.7 years of the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. 18% of the land in the town is conserved, against 6.8% in Colorado’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The town has 1 place on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · USGS PAD-US · National Register of Historic Places.
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 & incomeBased on what households earn, poverty and workAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.3 of 20; 1.3% of households have no carA−Open →Cost of livingHomes are harder to afford than in most townsC−Open →SchoolsAbove the middle of the towns comparedA−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.
The share of adults in Ken Caryl who had a checkup this year: 74%. The town beats the Colorado average on 8 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. In Ken Caryl, just over a fifth of adults binge drink, and 23% have obesity.
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−
Ken Caryl’s schools rank ahead of 78% of Colorado districts
Three of its 10 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Jefferson County School District No. R-1. The 6 public schools in Ken Caryl teach 2,308 students between them.
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.
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Ken Caryl rose by 2,624, to 10,423. Commuting out is the norm here: 6% of working residents work locally. 27% of workers work remotely from home locally. Half of commuters travel less than 12 miles.
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+
The South Hogback Open Space, at 598 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In 22 parks and preserves, walkers have 8.7 miles of trail. Also worth knowing: the concentration of trails in Ken Caryl is 0.9 miles per square mile.
#109for trails in CO
| Ken Caryl | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 18% | 6.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
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
Four seasons and hot summers in Ken Caryl
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.
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
Ken Caryl: nearly a fifth of residents are 65 or older. Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (25% statewide). The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 51%, against 46% across Colorado. In Ken Caryl, the midpoint age 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
Ken Caryl has had 3 paid flood insurance claims since 1983. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts just over a third of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 34% to hail.
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−
A home in Ken Caryl sells for about $575K at the median
Ken Caryl’s typical rent stands at $2,127 a month. Among households here, 84% live in a home they own. On the market locally: a median 31 days to sell.
$575Kmedian sale price
| Ken Caryl | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,127 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 71% | 73% |
Market temperature
31
days on market
98.9%
sale-to-list price
48
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · 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−.