Fort Morgan, Colorado
Area Profile
11,605 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Fort Morgan, in Morgan County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 4.4% and the Opportunity signal places Fort Morgan in the bottom 11%. The unemployment rate is published for Morgan County, CO, which contains Fort Morgan, rather than for Fort Morgan alone.
In the public schools here, 22% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.3 students for every teacher.
Residential permitting has slowed: 9 units authorized over the past twelve months, 86% below the prior year.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Morgan County, CO, which contains Fort Morgan, is 4.4% — higher than in all but 47% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Morgan County, CO, which contains Fort Morgan, fell 2.8% over the past year, to 13,261 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsMorgan County, CO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $51,747 | 10th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftMorgan County, CO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $53,701 | 13th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$7,3562024 ACS 5-Year | $64,158 | Bottom 46%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,1882024 ACS 5-Year | $26,595 | Bottom 25%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 16.1% | Bottom 32%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±2.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 18.5 min | Top 13%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 18.2% | Bottom 44%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 77.7% | 52nd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentMorgan County, CO’s figureJuly 2026 | 13,261 | Bottom 9%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Morgan County, CO’s figureJuly 2026 | −2.0% | Bottom 24%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Morgan County, CO’s figureJuly 2026 | −2.8% | Bottom 10%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceMorgan County, CO’s figureJuly 2026 | 13,875 | 9th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 80.6% | Top 41%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 1st percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Morgan County, CO’s figureJuly 2026 | 0.0% | Bottom 45%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateMorgan County, CO’s figureJuly 2026 | 4.4% | Bottom 47%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.8% | 51st percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Morgan County, CO, which contains this city.
22% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 32% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.3 students for every full-time teacher across 8 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Morgan High School | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 945 | 16.9 | 21% | 36% |
| Fort Morgan Middle School | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 749 | 15.3 | 23% | 35% |
| Columbine Elementary School | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 421 | 16.8 | 17% | 22% |
| Sherman Early Childhood Center | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 409 | 15.7 | — | — |
| Baker Elementary School | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 321 | 14.0 | 27% | 27% |
| Green Acres Elementary School | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 320 | 16.0 | 28% | 34% |
| Pioneer Elementary School | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 243 | 11.6 | 17% | 27% |
| Lincoln High School | School District No. Re-3 Fort Morgan | 43 | 8.6 | — | — |
58.0% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Colorado’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Colorado is up 46% over five years, and up 2.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,536 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.49% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,160, some 9% above the $1,067 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,160 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $46,400 a year, about 72% of the median household income here of $64,158.
The typical renter household here spends 31% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,067 a month.
A median home at $313,400 costs 3.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $80,052, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.
The figures above are measured against Fort Morgan’s median household income of $64,158, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Colorado’s figure2026 Q2 | +2.8% | 45th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Colorado’s figure2026 Q2 | +46.4% | 68th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Colorado’s figure2026 Q2 | +114.4% | 81st percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.62024 ACS 5-Year | 3.9 | Bottom 18%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 58.2% | 18th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±2892024 ACS 5-Year | 4,313 | 87th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $884 | Top 13%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,606 | Top 23%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,160 | Top 18%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$1242024 ACS 5-Year | $1,067 | Bottom 42%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$24,7662024 ACS 5-Year | $313,400 | 74th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1412024 ACS 5-Year | $1,536 | 43rd percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$11,4082024 ACS 5-Year | $80,052 | Top 48%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.49% | 11th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 30.8% | Bottom 37%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±212024 ACS 5-Year | 0 | 1st percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 1st percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.0% | 26th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±842024 ACS 5-Year | 129 | 70th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 11,835 in 2024.
Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 17 units authorized in 2025, 90% below the prior year.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 9 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Morgan County, which contains Fort Morgan, lost about 0.7% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $51,747, close to the $53,701 of households that moved out.
At 0.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Weld County, CO 227 people · 18% of arrivals
- Adams County, CO 204 people · 16% of arrivals
- Arapahoe County, CO 81 people · 6.4% of arrivals
- Jefferson County, CO 67 people · 5.3% of arrivals
- Logan County, CO 55 people · 4.4% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Weld County, CO 217 people · 15% of departures
- Adams County, CO 108 people · 7.5% of departures
- Logan County, CO 63 people · 4.4% of departures
- Arapahoe County, CO 59 people · 4.1% of departures
- Larimer County, CO 58 people · 4.0% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Morgan County, CO. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 90°F and January a low of 13°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 14.3 inches, including 22.7 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 14.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 22.7" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 13°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 90°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 48°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hail and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 45% of it.
Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, winter weather, wildfire, earthquake, ice storm, lightning, drought, volcanic activity, landslide, coastal flooding, avalanche, tsunami, hurricane.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Fort Morgan's police department reported 252 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,419.
Morgan County has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.7 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 14.6 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at about 14.1 per 100,000 residents in Morgan County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Fort Morgan’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Fort Morgan (Morgan County) rather than Fort Morgan itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
7 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Greeley-Weld County at 46 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.3% | Top 43%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 46 mi | Bottom 15%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 7 | Top 13%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.1% | Top 48%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley-Weld County | GXY | 46 mi | 10,000 ft |
| Colorado Air and Space Port | CFO | 51 mi | 8,002 ft |
| Denver Intl | DEN | 54 mi | 16,000 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Fort Morgan
1 ZIP areaEvery ZIP area in Fort Morgan with census figures of its own, largest first.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80701 | 16,226 | $70,302 | $347,600 | 41 |