Penrose, Colorado, 2006
Penrose’s story
117 years in pictures
Census counts: 2,235 in 1990, 3,685 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
- 1909Penrose is settled
PenroseCO
Photo: Adam Paetow · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
4,087
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$385K
−0.4% in a year
Household income
$88K
median
Median age
43.7
years
Jobs based here
413
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#143 of 158 in CO
Is Penrose a good place to live?
Penrose is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 143rd of 158 in Colorado, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 70% of the country. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $385K for a typical one and 6.2 times the Cañon City area’s $63K median household income. On the outdoors, just 20 of Colorado’s 218 towns do worse. Penrose’s July high is 90°F, where Colorado’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 8 have a higher January low than Penrose.
What makes Penrose stand out
Where Penrose beats most towns.
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Penrose for work
Where Penrose’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
413jobs based in Penrose
7%of working residents work in town
29 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Penrose grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Penrose is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →Jobs & income$88K median household incomeCOpen →Cost of livingCOpen →HealthSt. Thomas More Hospital 12.6 miles awayB+Open →SchoolsC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.1 of 20; 2.6% of households have no car; 1.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+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.
Climate–Open →Housing market$385K typical home, down 0.4% in a year–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 43.7; 31% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Penrose: who provides what
Penrose is unincorporated, so Fremont County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerBlack Hills Colorado Electric18.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPenrose WD water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesFremont CountyFremont 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 hereFremont County Clerk and RecorderFremont County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8124081240 100%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 Penrose.
Penrose sends most of its workers to Colorado Springs and beyond, has property taxes about half the Colorado norm and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Colorado.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most working residents commute out of Penrose
Penrose has 413 jobs for its 1,570 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 554 in 2013 to 413.
Most working residents leave Penrose for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Penrose has lost 141 jobs, to 413 in 2023. The average trip to work in Penrose is 23 minutes.
7%work in town
| Penrose | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Penrose7%
Colorado Springs20%
Cañon City16%
Pueblo8%
Denver6%
29 mi
median commute distance
413
jobs based in Penrose
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC+
Penrose’s schools rank behind 64% of Colorado districts
Its public schools are run by the Fremont Re-2 school district. Its one school is below.
36%of CO districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penrose Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 281 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
HealthB+
For health, Penrose earns a B+
Within Colorado it is less healthy than 70% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
15% of Penrose adults report frequent physical distress. Penrose beats the Colorado average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 75% of Penrose adults had a checkup this year.
71%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Penrose | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 16% |
26 measures vs. Colorado
4 better12 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Penrose | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.6% | 11.1% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.8% | 19% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.7% | 5.3% |
St. Thomas More Hospital
12.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
30th
percentile among CO towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C
For cost of living, Penrose earns a C
The median property tax bill is $944, against $2,602 across Colorado, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Penrose’s median rent is $1,321 a month. The typical Penrose home is worth about $385,000, about the same as a year ago, 27% below the Colorado typical home. 82% of households own their home in Penrose.
$385KZillow home value
| Penrose | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,321 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Penrose$385K
Colorado$529K
−0.4%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Penrose, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireLightning
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Penrose has four seasons and hot summers
Penrose has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 20° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
38″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–49°
Spring36–66°
Summer57–88°
Fall38–69°
Oct 7
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
Penrose has set aside 2% of its land for conservation
8.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
#130for trails in CO
| Penrose | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 7% | 4.3% |
2%
conserved · 225 of 11,360 acres
8.4 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Penrose Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Penrose
17pages on Penrose
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Penrose; the nearest are
Pueblo Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Pueblo22.6 mi$5,049 in-state tuitionColorado State University PuebloUniversity or college · Public · Pueblo24.1 mi$9,720 in-state tuitionOtero CollegeCommunity college · Public · La Junta85 mi$4,576 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Penrose residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
About Penrose
Unincorporated community in Fremont County, CO, USA
Penrose is a census-designated place (CDP) and post office located in and governed by Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Penrose post office has the ZIP Code 81240. At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Penrose CDP was 3,685.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 18 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,338 ft
- ZIP code
- 81240
- Area code
- 719
Questions about Penrose
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Penrose, CO a good place to live?
Penrose grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #143 of 158 in Colorado. It grades B+ for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Penrose, CO expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.