Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rocky Ford earns a D, ranked 151st of 158 in Colorado, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $41K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Rocky Ford, against 8.4% in Colorado’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On history, just 6 of Colorado’s 218 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Babcock Park, at 24 acres.
Where Rocky Ford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Carnegie Public Library| Widest gap | Rocky Ford | CO |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24% | 9.2% |
Where Rocky Ford’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 Rocky Ford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 47 in 1880, 3,876 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rocky Ford, 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 Rocky Ford.
Rocky Ford is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
At 2.8 years of the county’s $54K median household income, the typical home (about $150K) costs less against local pay than in any other Colorado town; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The typical value, about $150K, is 14% below its September 2022 peak.
The typical Rocky Ford home is worth about $150,000, down 6.5% in a year, 72% below the Colorado typical home. Rocky Ford’s median rent is $775 a month.
| Rocky Ford | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $775 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Rocky Ford School District No. R2. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Ford Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 305 | B− |
| Rocky Ford Junior/Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 271 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
4.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Rocky Ford is 2.4 miles per square mile.
| Rocky Ford | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.4 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Babcock Park | 0.6 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 2,562 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rocky Ford’s, it is less healthy than 67%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
34% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Rocky Ford. Of the 159 Colorado towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Rocky Ford. 19% of adults report frequent mental distress in Rocky Ford.
| Rocky Ford | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 15% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 8.4% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 16% | 25% |
| What stands out | Rocky Ford | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.7% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.8% | 69.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No town among the 159 in Colorado we compare has a lower median household income than Rocky Ford. 17% of Rocky Ford working residents work locally. Since 2013, Rocky Ford has added 97 jobs, to 710 in 2023.
| Rocky Ford | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $41,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 7.5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes rose from 65 to 134 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Colorado, it does better than 53% of towns.
| Rocky Ford | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 29.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rocky Ford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Rocky Ford 2 Se weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 159 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 85% of Colorado places with climate records.
Rocky Ford has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 7 have a higher July high than Rocky Ford.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rocky Ford. Close and well known come first.
16 mi National Historic SiteBent's Old Fort National Historic Site7K visitors a year
32 mi LandmarkFort Lyon
11 mi MuseumKoshare Indian Museum
12 mi MuseumCrowley SchoolBent's Old Fort National Historic Site: unknown NPS photographer, Public domain · Fort Lyon: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 · Koshare Indian Museum: Ammodramus, CC0 · Crowley School: Ammodramus, CC0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rocky Ford
About 4 of every 100 Rocky Ford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
5 places in Rocky Ford on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Rocky Ford.
City in Otero County, Colorado, United States
Rocky Ford is a statutory city located in Otero County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,876 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rocky Ford grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #151 of 158 in Colorado. It grades D for health, C for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Colorado, it does better than 53% of towns.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($54,037 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.
10 notable people were born here, including John David Vanderhoof and Paul Gebhard.
