Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pueblo grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and schools. Its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 552 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its schools rank behind 80% of the state's. One bright spot: it has 64 miles of trail. 50% of working residents work locally in Pueblo, against 7.5% in Colorado’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On health, just 7 of Colorado’s 218 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Pueblo County Courthouse and Orman-Adams House.
Where Pueblo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its 59 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Colorado towns with a listing.
Census counts: 666 in 1870, 111,876 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Pueblo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pueblo, 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 Pueblo.
Pueblo is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has home values still below their peak, but it has poverty well above the Colorado rate.
Reported crimes fell from 7,798 to 2,554 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Pueblo’s violent crime rate is 5 per 1,000 residents. Pueblo reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. Pueblo’s property crime rate is 18 per 1,000 residents.
| Pueblo | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Pueblo School District No. 60. Three of its 45 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| W H Heaton Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 578 | C |
| Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,145 | C− |
| The Connect Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 252 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
The typical value, about $282K, is 8% below its July 2022 peak. The median property tax bill is $1,246, against $2,602 across Colorado, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Pueblo home is worth about $282,000, down 2.4% in a year, 47% below the Colorado typical home. The median rent in Pueblo is $1,082 a month.
| Pueblo | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,082 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 71% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
65 miles of trail in 41 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Minnequa Park and Open Space, at 280 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Minnequa Park and Open Space | 0.5 mi | 280 |
| 2. Mineral Palace Park | 0.5 mi | 45 |
| 3. Ray Aguilera Park | 0.5 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 7,912 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pueblo’s, it is healthier than 54%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
30% of Pueblo adults get no exercise outside work. Only 1 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Pueblo. 16% of Pueblo adults binge drink.
| Pueblo | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 16% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Pueblo | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.6% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 73.1% | 69.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.9% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pueblo.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pueblo has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Only 10 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher July high than Pueblo.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
18% of residents live below the poverty line in Pueblo. The top destinations are Colorado Springs (11%), Denver (5%) and Pueblo West (3%). 7.6% of workers work from home in Pueblo.
| Pueblo | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pueblo. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi LandmarkNorth American Aerospace Defense Command
36 mi MountainCheyenne Mountain
37 mi Canyon & gorgeRoyal Gorge
36 mi Scenic railwayRoyal Gorge Route Railroad
in town MuseumPueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
in town Zoo & aquariumPueblo ZooNorth American Aerospace Defense Command: Unknown, Public domain · Cheyenne Mountain: Jimmy from Grand Junction, CO, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Royal Gorge: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Royal Gorge Route Railroad: Self-scanned by original uploader JGHowes at en.wikipedia (Original text: From , Public domain · Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum: LanceBarber at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Pueblo Zoo: Jeffrey, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Pueblo
About 5 of every 100 Pueblo residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado.
2 colleges in town.
59 places in Pueblo on the National Register of Historic Places.
38 notable people were born in Pueblo.
Home rule city and seat of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States
Pueblo ( PWEB-loh; Spanish for "town") is the home rule municipality that is the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in, Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States census, making Pueblo the ninth most populous city in Colorado. Pueblo is the principal city of the Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and a major city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Pueblo is situated at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek, 112 miles (180 km) south of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The area is considered semi-arid desert land, with approximately 12 inches (304.80 mm) of precipitation annually. With its loca…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Pueblo.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo | #158 | D− | C | D− | C− | C |
| Pueblo West | #103 | B− | C− | — | B+ | A− |
Pueblo West reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Pueblo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pueblo grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns. It grades C for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($64,010 across the Pueblo, CO metro area).
38 notable people were born here, including Joe Bordeaux and Stanley Wagner.
