Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,591, founded in 1871. Public schools that outperform most of Colorado.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with wildfire at the top. Overall it grades A−, 41st of 158 graded towns in Colorado. Its schools rank ahead of 95% of Colorado towns and it is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns. 12% of residents are under 18 in Palmer Lake, against 22% in Colorado’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. Palmer Lake's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 91% of U.S. towns. Peggy Hill Cabin is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Palmer Lake beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Palmer Lake Elementary School | PK–6 | 286 |
Where Palmer Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Palmer Lake is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for schools (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D− for hazard risk (better than 5%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 166 in 1900, 2,636 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 4 maps from 1954 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Palmer Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi MountainPikes Peak
Big draw29 mi LandmarkNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
16 mi Park & preserveGarden of the Gods
9 mi Stadium & arenaFalcon Stadium
35 mi LandmarkColumbine Memorial
26 mi MountainCheyenne MountainPikes Peak: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 · North American Aerospace Defense Command: Unknown, Public domain · Garden of the Gods: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Falcon Stadium: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Columbine Memorial: Denverjeffrey, CC BY 3.0 · Cheyenne Mountain: Jimmy from Grand Junction, CO, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Palmer Lake, 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 Palmer Lake.
Palmer Lake has schools in the top 5% of Colorado and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Colorado (mostly wildfires).
Its A+ ranks #2 of the 159 Colorado towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by Lewis-Palmer Consolidated School District No. 38 in the co. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Lake Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 286 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
Within Colorado it is healthier than 54% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Colorado is tooth loss: 5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.2% statewide.
76% of adults had a checkup this year in Palmer Lake. Palmer Lake beats the Colorado average on 6 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 16% of adults get no exercise outside work in Palmer Lake.
| Palmer Lake | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 71% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Palmer Lake | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5% | 9.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.8 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Palmer Lake’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile. Santa Fe Open Space, at 68 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Palmer Lake | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.9 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 6.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Palmer Lake Regional Recreation Area | 1.5 mi | 50 |
| 2. Santa Fe Open Space | 1.4 mi | 68 |
| 3. Glen Park | 0.2 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of Colorado towns; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Among 159 Colorado towns, just 4 have a higher FEMA risk score than Palmer Lake. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Palmer Lake since 2015.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 484 in 2013 to 689.
Most working residents leave Palmer Lake for work: only 2% work in town. The median household income in Palmer Lake is $125,000. Since 2013, Palmer Lake has added 205 jobs, to 689 in 2023.
| Palmer Lake | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $125,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 7.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 12% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (16% statewide). Among 159 Colorado towns, just 6 have a higher median age than Palmer Lake. 44% of Palmer Lake adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Palmer Lake | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.9 years | 38.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 15% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 45% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Palmer Lake | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.8% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 24.4% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.8% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.7% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 15.6% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 27% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.5% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.5% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,600, single groups can be off by several points
The Monument weather station records that 121 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Palmer Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 82° and January nights drop to 14°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Palmer Lake's reported crime rate is well below Colorado's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 4 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Palmer Lake | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 9 per 1,000 residents | 18.9 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The typical Palmer Lake home is worth about $530,000, down 0.8% in a year, close to the Colorado typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Palmer Lake
About 3 of every 100 Palmer Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Town in Colorado, United States
Palmer Lake is a statutory town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,636 at the 2020 census. Palmer Lake was founded by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871 and was incorporated in 1889. Palmer Lake is one of three communities in the Tri-Lakes region between Denver and Colorado Springs. The three lakes are Palmer Lake, Monument Lake, and Lake Woodmoor. Located off Interstate 25 near two major metropolitan centers, Palmer Lake is a growing community on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Downtown Palmer Lake, though small, features restaurants and coffee shops on Colorado Highway 105. There is also a library, town hall, and a historical museum. The Tri-Lakes…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Palmer Lake.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Lake | #41 | A− | C+ | — | A+ | A |
| Monument | #63 | B+ | D | C+ | A+ | A |
Palmer Lake reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Palmer Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Palmer Lake grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #41 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A for health and A+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 5.9 years of the area's median household income ($90,144 across the Colorado Springs, CO metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
