Placerville, Colorado, 2014
Placerville’s story
148 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2014.
- 1878Placerville is settled
PlacervilleCO
The town was settled in 1878 and has 333 residents today.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
Population
333
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$1.3M
+8% in a year
Household income
$106K
median
Median age
47.9
years
Jobs based here
58
A commuter town
Is Placerville a good place to live?
Only 7 of the 160 Colorado towns we compare have a lower midsummer high than Placerville. Placerville has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
333 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Placerville: who provides what
Placerville is unincorporated, so San Miguel County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerSan Miguel Power Assn16.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTown of Sawpit water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesSan Miguel CountySan Miguel 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 hereSan Miguel County Clerk and RecorderSan Miguel County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8143081430 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 Placerville.
Housing
A typical Placerville home is worth about $1.3M
Placerville’s going rate for rent comes in at $2,194 a month. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 8%.
$1.3MZillow home value
| Placerville | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,194 a month | $1,808 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 71% | 73% |
Typical home value
Placerville$1.3M
Colorado$529K
+8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards
Very high risk in Placerville, with avalanches at the top
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in four fifths of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Placerville, 64% come from avalanches and 28% from inland flooding.
80risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
With only 0.4 jobs per working resident, most people in Placerville work out of town
The top destinations are Telluride (44%), Mountain Village (15%) and Denver (3%). Commuting out is the norm in Placerville: 2% of working residents work locally. In Placerville, the average commute is 20 minutes. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 39, to 58.
2%work in town
| Placerville | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 7.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Placerville2%
Telluride44%
Mountain Village15%
Denver3%
Montrose2%
13 mi
median commute distance
58
jobs based in Placerville
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Placerville, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
In July, afternoons reach 79°; in January, nights fall to 10°, and about 76 inches of snow falls in a winter.
76″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–39°
Spring28–54°
Summer45–76°
Fall29–58°
Sep 29
typical first frost
May 26
typical last frost
+2.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
A smaller share of adults 18 to 64 in Placerville have no health insurance than in the typical Colorado or U.S. town
Placerville: 25% of adults have obesity. Against the Colorado average, Placerville comes out ahead on 10 CDC measures out of 26, and behind on 1. Among adults here, 12% get no exercise outside work and 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Placerville | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 19% |
26 measures vs. Colorado
10 better15 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Placerville | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.5% | 9.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.5% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.1% | 7.8% |
Montrose Regional Health
34.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 13 attractions →Telluride Ski Area and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Placerville. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Ski areaTelluride Ski Area161 runs · 3,803 ft vertical
14 mi National forestUncompahgre National Forest
16 mi WaterfallBridal Veil Falls29 mi Ski areaPurgatory Resort92 runs · 1,963 ft vertical
39 mi National Recreation AreaCurecanti National Recreation Area807K visitors a year31 mi Ski areaCimarron Mountain Club45 runs · 1,542 ft vertical
14 mi National forestUncompahgre National Forest16 mi WaterfallBridal Veil Falls29 mi Ski areaPurgatory Resort92 runs · 1,963 ft vertical39 mi National Recreation AreaCurecanti National Recreation Area807K visitors a year31 mi Ski areaCimarron Mountain Club45 runs · 1,542 ft verticalSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Uncompahgre National Forest: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bridal Veil Falls: Terry Foote (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Curecanti National Recreation Area: The original uploader was Nationalparks at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Placerville
15pages on Placerville
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Placerville; the nearest are
Fort Lewis CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Durango51.3 mi$9,958 in-state tuitionSan Juan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Farmington, NM85.6 mi$1,928 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Placerville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Placerville for work
Where Placerville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
58jobs based in Placerville
2%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Placerville
Census-designated place in San Miguel County, CO, USA
Placerville is a census-designated place (CDP) and post office in and governed by San Miguel County, Colorado, United States. The Placerville post office has the ZIP Code 81430 (post office boxes). At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Placerville CDP was 362.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 7,316 ft
- ZIP code
- 81430
Questions about Placerville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Placerville, CO a good place to live?
Placerville has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.