Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,393, settled in 1924.
The best of Poncha Springs’ subject grades are an A for health, schools, and the outdoors; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Poncha Springs’ average trip to work is 15 minutes, against 25 minutes in Colorado’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Among 160 Colorado towns, just 2 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Poncha Springs. Poncha Springs has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Poncha Springs Schoolhouse and Hutchinson Ranch. Poncha Springs has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
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 Poncha Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Poncha Springs, 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 Poncha Springs.
Poncha Springs beats the Colorado average on 6 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 28% of Poncha Springs adults sleep under 7 hours, where Colorado’s towns sit at 30% and U.S. towns at 36%. 24% of Poncha Springs adults have obesity.
| Poncha Springs | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 26% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 25% |
| What stands out | Poncha Springs | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.9% | 11.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 9.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 35 to 64 are 54% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 7% of residents (21% statewide). Poncha Springs’ median age is 46.4 years. Poncha Springs has grown 48% since 2020, to 1,393 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Poncha Springs | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46.4 years | 38.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 44% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 15% | 18% |
45% women, 55% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.4 points. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women.
| Poncha Springs | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 3.9% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.2% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 22.5% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.5% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.2% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.3% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 6.2% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 34.3% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.1% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.5% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Poncha Springs for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Poncha Springs grew to 273 in 2023, 105 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Salida (34%), Denver (7%) and Colorado Springs (5%).
| Poncha Springs | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 7.7% | 8% |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Poncha Springs has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Poncha Springs is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.5 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is South Park, at 31 acres.
| Poncha Springs | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.9% | 6.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Park | 0.4 mi | 31 |
| 2. Poncha Springs Disk Golf Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
| 3. Little River Ranch Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Poncha Springs home is worth about $571,000, up 1.6% in a year, 8% above the Colorado typical home. 93% of households own their home in Poncha Springs.
| Poncha Springs | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,783 a month | $1,808 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Poncha Springs; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Poncha Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Where Poncha Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Colorado, United States
Poncha Springs is a statutory town in Chaffee County, Colorado. Originally settled by fur traders, it became an Indian trading post in 1866, and was incorporated on December 8, 1880. It has been nicknamed the "Crossroads of the Rockies" in reference to the intersection of US 50 and US 285 through the center of town. As of 2024 its population was 1,406.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 6.8 years of the area's median household income ($84,132 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.