Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Trinidad grades D overall, 155th of 158 graded towns in Colorado, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $52K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. It reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 45 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. 46% of working residents work locally in Trinidad, against 7.5% in Colorado’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Temple Aaron and Baca House and Outbuilding. Among 120 Colorado towns, just 4 have a lower typical home value than Trinidad.
Where Trinidad beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Temple Aaron
Temple Aaron is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 562 in 1870, a peak of 13,223 in 1940, 8,329 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Trinidad is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Trinidad, 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 Trinidad.
Trinidad fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Colorado rate.
The typical value, about $227K, is 8% below its June 2024 peak. The median property tax bill is $569, against $2,602 across Colorado, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Trinidad home is worth about $227,000, down 6.1% in a year, 57% below the Colorado typical home. The median rent in Trinidad is $910 a month.
| Trinidad | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $910 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Trinidad School District 1. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisher's Peak Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 393 | D |
| Trinidad High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 204 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
At 53.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 78% of Colorado’s graded towns.
Trinidad’s violent crime rate is 5.5 per 1,000 residents. Trinidad reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less. Trinidad’s property crime rate is 25 per 1,000 residents.
| Trinidad | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
14 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is South Side Park, at 48 acres.
| Trinidad | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.5 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Park | 0.8 mi | 16 |
| 2. South Side Park | 0.3 mi | 48 |
| 3. Cimino Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Trinidad.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trinidad has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 18° and about 55 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,399 working residents takes 17.4 minutes, against 25.2 across Colorado.
7.3% of workers work from home in Trinidad. Since 2013, Trinidad has added 338 jobs, to 3,086 in 2023. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 8 have a lower median household income than Trinidad.
| Trinidad | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,555 U.S. towns with household incomes like Trinidad’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Trinidad beats the Colorado average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 17% of Trinidad adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Only 6 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Trinidad.
| Trinidad | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 8.4% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Trinidad | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.7% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 74.9% | 69.5% |
| More adults with diabetes | 13.5% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Trinidad
About 9 of every 100 Trinidad residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
17 places in Trinidad on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Trinidad.
City in Colorado, United States
Trinidad is the home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the most populous municipality in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 8,329 as of the 2020 census. Trinidad lies 21 mi (34 km) north of Raton, New Mexico, and 195 mi (314 km) south of Denver. It is on the historic Santa Fe Trail. The city is home to Trinidad State College, the oldest community college in Colorado. The city also houses the Trinidad Triggers, a minor-league baseball team affiliated with the independent Pecos League.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Trinidad.
El Moro isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Trinidad with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Trinidad grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #155 of 158 in Colorado. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($52,074 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 C+.
17 notable people were born here, including Snatam Kaur and Erskine Sanford.
