Stepping StoneCO
A town of 3,137.
Why does Stepping Stone grade so well?
Because it does well by almost any measure. Stepping Stone earns an A, 5th among Colorado's 158 graded towns. The median household earns $224K, on CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, and its schools rank ahead of 92% of Colorado towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. 82% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Stepping Stone, against 44% in Colorado’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On history, just 18 of Colorado’s 218 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
What makes Stepping Stone stand out
Where Stepping Stone beats most towns.
100% of working residents leave Stepping Stone for work
Where Stepping Stone’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Stepping Stone grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Stepping Stone is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Red Rocks Amphitheatre and 55 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Stepping Stone. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
19 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
19 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
15 mi LandmarkColumbine Memorial
20 mi Stadium & arenaDick's Sporting Goods ParkPhoto credits
Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Empower Field at Mile High: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ball Arena: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Coors Field: Matt Kozlowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Columbine Memorial: Denverjeffrey, CC BY 3.0 · Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Tom Pratt, CC BY 2.0
Moving to Stepping Stone: who provides what
Stepping Stone is unincorporated, so Douglas County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Stepping Stone.
Stepping Stone has less tooth loss than most of Colorado, sends most of its workers to Denver and beyond and has household incomes well above the Colorado norm.
Conserved land covers 8.6% of Stepping Stone
2.2 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density in Stepping Stone is 2.8 miles per square mile.
| Stepping Stone | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.8 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.6% | 6.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lantern House Park | 0.4 mi | 3 |
| 2. Sunburst Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 3. Winding Path Park | 0.2 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Stepping Stone stands out in Colorado and nationally: a smaller share of its adults report frequent physical distress
Its widest gap with Colorado is tooth loss: 2.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.2% statewide. Against the 663 U.S. towns with household incomes like Stepping Stone’s, it is healthier than 74%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
7.9% of Stepping Stone adults report frequent physical distress. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Stepping Stone. 15% of Stepping Stone adults report frequent mental distress.
| Stepping Stone | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 27% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 4.8% | 8.5% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Stepping Stone | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 2.7% | 9.2% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 2.5% | 5.1% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 59.3% | 69.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Stepping Stone, the median household income runs higher than in the typical Colorado or U.S. town
Stepping Stone has 127 jobs for its 1,468 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 46.3% of workers work from home, against 21% across Colorado.
Only 2 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher median household income than Stepping Stone. Since 2013, Stepping Stone has added 124 jobs, to 127 in 2023. 0.5% of working residents work locally in Stepping Stone.
| Stepping Stone | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $224,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 7.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Stepping Stone has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Stepping Stone has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 18° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Moderate risk in Stepping Stone, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A home in Stepping Stone sells for about $848K at the median
The median property tax bill is $5,828, against $2,602 across Colorado, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Stepping Stone
Colleges nearby
9 within 15 miles of the center of Stepping Stone
About 4 of every 100 Stepping Stone residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
About Stepping Stone
Unincorporated community in Douglas County, CO, USA
Stepping Stone is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,780 at the 2020 census. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The unincorporated community lies in ZIP code 80134.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 6,027 ft
Stepping Stone’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Stepping Stone.
At #5 in CO, it grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Sierra Ridge (A−) comes closest.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stepping Stone | #5 | A | C | — | A | A+ |
| Parker | #48 | A− | C− | C+ | A | A+ |
| Meridian Village | #52 | B+ | D− | — | A | A+ |
| Sierra Ridge | #44 | A− | D | — | A | A+ |
Stepping Stone, Meridian Village and Sierra Ridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Stepping Stone with a neighbor →
Questions about Stepping Stone
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Stepping Stone, CO a good place to live?
Yes, by almost any measure. Stepping Stone grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #5 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A+ for health and A for schools.
Is Stepping Stone, CO expensive?
The typical home is worth about $786,000, 49% above the Colorado typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.