1860s ROAD RUTS, LOOKING NORTHWEST - Box Elder Road, Between 104th and 112th Avenues, Hudson and Watkins Roads, 1968
Watkins’s story
Watkins in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1968.
Explore the history →
WatkinsCO
Population 847: a town in Colorado.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
Population
847
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$509K
−4.1% in a year
Household income
$158K
median
Median age
41.6
years
Jobs based here
353
Balanced
Is Watkins a good place to live?
Watkins’ typical household income is $158,000, above both the Colorado town median ($95,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Among 160 Colorado towns, just one has a higher home-ownership rate than Watkins. Watkins has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
847 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
AuroraWatkins
Nearby attractions
All 70 attractions →Red Rocks Amphitheatre and 50 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Watkins. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
23 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
23 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
18 mi Stadium & arenaDick's Sporting Goods Park
23 mi Theme parkElitch Gardens Theme ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo 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 · Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Tom Pratt, CC BY 2.0 · Elitch Gardens Theme Park: USGS, Public domain
Getting set up
Moving to Watkins: who provides what
Watkins is unincorporated, so Adams County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerXcel Energy15.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRangeview Md water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesAdams CountyAdams County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Colorado you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereArapahoe County Clerk and RecorderArapahoe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes80137, 8010280137 99% · 80102 1%Census 2020
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 Watkins.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Lady Help of Christians Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 115 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Top of a high hazard risk in Watkins: hail
In Watkins, the risk rating from FEMA is 69 of 100. Expected losses in Watkins break down as 33% from hail and 27% from inland flooding.
69risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HailInland floodingWildfire
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Watkins has snowy winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 17° and about 49 inches of snow falls in a winter.
49″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–44°
Spring33–61°
Summer55–85°
Fall36–65°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Most of Watkins’ workers head elsewhere: there are 0.9 jobs for each of them
Watkins’ average commute stands at 33 minutes. Just 4% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Among residents locally, 3.4% live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Denver (25%), Aurora (19%) and Centennial (5%).
4%work in town
| Watkins | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 7.7% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Watkins4%
Denver25%
Aurora19%
Centennial5%
Commerce City5%
18 mi
median commute distance
353
jobs based in Watkins
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Watkins is
Watkins: 12% of adults report frequent physical distress. In Watkins, 19% of adults binge drink, and 27% have obesity.
| Watkins | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 71% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 35% |
26 measures vs. Colorado
1 better22 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Watkins | CO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 67.9% | 64.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.2% | 9.2% |
The Medical Center of Aurora & South Hospital
13.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Conservation land takes up 3.1% of Watkins
Watkins’ trail network density comes in at 0.5 miles per square mile.
3.1%conserved
| Watkins | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 6.9% | 4.3% |
3.1%
conserved · 486 of 15,753 acres
12 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
Homes in Watkins are worth about $509K, by Zillow’s estimate
Home values are down 4.1% over the year to September 2026.
$509KZillow home value
Typical home value
Watkins$509K
Colorado$529K
−4.1%
value change, 1 year
0
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Watkins
17pages on Watkins
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Watkins
Community College of AuroraCommunity college · Public · Aurora12.1 mi$4,470 in-state tuitionArizona College of Nursing-AuroraUniversity or college · Private for-profit · Aurora14.1 mi$24,653 tuitionUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusUniversity or college · Public · Denver14.2 mi$10,383 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Watkins residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
About Watkins
Census-designated place in Colorado, USA
Watkins (also called Box Elder) is an unincorporated town and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Arapahoe and Adams counties, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place borders Aurora, and the Watkins post office, which lies within the Aurora city limits, has the ZIP Code 80137. At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Watkins CDP was 682.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 27 sq mi
- Elevation
- 5,525 ft
- ZIP code
- 80137
Questions about Watkins
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watkins, CO a good place to live?
Watkins has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.