Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ordway’s best subject grade is an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Only 12 of Colorado’s 217 towns score higher on cost of living. Ordway has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ordway beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Ordway is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 138 in 1900, 1,066 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 3 maps from 1891 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ordway, 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 Ordway.
The typical Ordway home is worth about $158,000, down 6.2% in a year, 70% below the Colorado typical home. At $1,036 a month, Ordway’s median rent is below both Colorado’s towns ($1,808 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 63% of Ordway households own their home.
| Ordway | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,036 a month | $1,808 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
Its public schools are run by the Crowley County School District No. Re-1-J. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowley County Elementary K-6Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 156 | C+ |
| Crowley County Junior and Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 156 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
Ordway has cold winters and hot summers, with very little rain. At 94°F, Ordway’s July high is above both the Colorado town median (89°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Ordway for work: only 16% work in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Ordway. Since 2013, Ordway has added 32 jobs, to 293 in 2023.
| Ordway | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 7.7% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ordway beats the Colorado average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 15. Only 5 of the 160 Colorado towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Ordway.
| Ordway | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 15% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 8.4% | 12% |
| What stands out | Ordway | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.5% | 69.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 5.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Ordway; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Ordway residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado.
Town in and county seat of Crowley County, Colorado, United States
Ordway is a statutory town in and the county seat of Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,066 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous community in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
2 notable people were born here, including Kevin J. Grantham and Palmer Burch.