Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Area Profile

13,433 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Steamboat Springs, in Routt County.

53out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 28% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 14 sources
OpportunityTop 48% of 4,199 cities measured57
SchoolsTop 3% of 4,162 cities measured90
Growth2,171st of 4,224 cities measured50
Housing affordability4,144th of 4,218 cities measured26
Climate4,216th of 4,225 cities measured45
Physical resilience3,173rd of 4,226 cities measured32
AccessTop 49% of 4,226 cities measured93
Economic stabilityTop 29% of 4,226 cities measured68
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.4% and median household income $104,964, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Routt County, CO, which contains Steamboat Springs, rather than for Steamboat Springs alone.

Public schools test above most of the state: 56% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 3% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 232 units authorized over the past twelve months, 50% below the prior year. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Routt County, CO, which contains Steamboat Springs, rather than for Steamboat Springs alone.

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

Population
13,433
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$104,964
Top 16% nationally
Density
1,358/sq mi
9.9 sq mi of land
Median age
43.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Colorado
Nearest major airport
HDN
21 mi · Yampa Valley
Median home value
$981,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Routt County, CO, which contains Steamboat Springs, is 3.4%, lower than in 84% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Routt County, CO, which contains Steamboat Springs, fell 4.4% over the past year, to 13,270 employed residents.

62% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 94% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsRoutt County, CO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$138,26497th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftRoutt County, CO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$96,89483rd percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$16,5512024 ACS 5-Year$104,964Top 16%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$6,2762024 ACS 5-Year$74,913Top 5%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year4.4%Top 21%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year15.5 minTop 6%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year62.2%Top 6%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year63.1%16th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentRoutt County, CO’s figureJuly 202613,270Bottom 9%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Routt County, CO’s figureJuly 2026−6.2%Bottom 2%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Routt County, CO’s figureJuly 2026−4.4%Bottom 2%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceRoutt County, CO’s figureJuly 202613,7388th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year86.8%Top 18%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year2.2%91st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Routt County, CO’s figureJuly 2026+0.2%Bottom 32%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateRoutt County, CO’s figureJuly 20263.4%Top 16%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year23.1%89th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

2021202220232024105k81k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $104,964 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Routt County, CO, which contains this city.

56% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 74% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.2 students for every full-time teacher across 7 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
7
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.2
across all schools here
Math proficiency
56.1%
Top 13% in Colorado
Reading proficiency
74.3%
Top 1% in Colorado
All 7 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Steamboat Springs High SchoolSteamboat Springs School District No. Re 287117.157%82%
Steamboat Springs Middle SchoolSteamboat Springs School District No. Re 244012.259%71%
Soda Creek Elementary SchoolSteamboat Springs School District No. Re 237912.659%70%
Strawberry Park Elementary SchoolSteamboat Springs School District No. Re 236811.956%68%
Sleeping Giant SchoolSteamboat Springs School District No. Re 23379.9——
Steamboat Montessori · charterState Charter School Institute14014.035%65%
Yampa Valley High SchoolSteamboat Springs School District No. Re 23216.0——

19.4% 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.

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 $2,979 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.30% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,022, close to the $2,017 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $2,022 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $80,900 a year, about 77% of the median household income here of $104,964.

The typical renter household here spends 35% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,017 a month.

A median home at $981,800 costs 7.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $128,382, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Rent as a share of income
34.9%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
7.6×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$2,022
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$2,017
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$981,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Steamboat Springs’s median household income of $104,964, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Colorado’s figure2026 Q2+2.8%45th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Colorado’s figure2026 Q2+46.4%68th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Colorado’s figure2026 Q2+114.4%81st percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±12024 ACS 5-Year7.6Bottom 2%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year67.2%32nd percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±2722024 ACS 5-Year10,94295th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,845Bottom 25%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,424Bottom 37%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$2,022Bottom 31%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$2302024 ACS 5-Year$2,017Bottom 8%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$122,6562024 ACS 5-Year$981,80098th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$4852024 ACS 5-Year$2,97973rd percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$7,6482024 ACS 5-Year$128,382Top 12%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year0.30%2nd percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year34.9%Bottom 21%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±3902024 ACS 5-Year3,22499th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year29.5%95th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year11.8%70th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±3702024 ACS 5-Year4,51799th percentileof 32,3302024 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.

Development Momentum

50/ 100
Ranks 2,171 of 4,224 published city profiles

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 3% since 2020, reaching 13,620 in 2024.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 13,620 residents in 2024, up 0.5% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

Federal tax returns show Routt County, which contains Steamboat Springs, 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 $138,264, above the $96,894 of households that moved out.

At 9.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Routt County, CO, which contains Steamboat Springs, rather than for Steamboat Springs alone.

Units permitted
232
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
9.2
Top 13% nationally
Year over year
−50%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
23.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202414k13k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.7%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
59%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$138,264
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$96,894
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Denver County, CO 113 people · 7.5% of arrivals
  2. Jefferson County, CO 73 people · 4.9% of arrivals
  3. Larimer County, CO 59 people · 3.9% of arrivals
  4. Boulder County, CO 51 people · 3.4% of arrivals
  5. Douglas County, CO 49 people · 3.3% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Moffat County, CO 137 people · 8.3% of departures
  2. Larimer County, CO 94 people · 5.7% of departures
  3. Denver County, CO 90 people · 5.4% of departures
  4. Douglas County, CO 43 people · 2.6% of departures
  5. Boulder County, CO 41 people · 2.5% 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 Routt County, CO. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and Steamboat Springs, CO is not one. This is the figure for Routt County, CO, which contains this city.

Weather & climate

3 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 83°F and January a low of 5°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 24.7 inches, including 184.5 inches of snow.

Air quality measures a median index of 12, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.

-10°10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, 0.9 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND2.6"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year252024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals24.7"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals184.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals5°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals83°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals31991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year02024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year122024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals48°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
12
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
25
90th percentile index
Days above 100
0
unhealthy for sensitive groups

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

32 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, avalanche and wildfire, with inland flooding alone responsible for 78% of it. Avalanche is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

WildfireElevated
Inland floodingHigh
EarthquakeModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, avalanche, winter weather, lightning, volcanic activity, drought, ice storm, cold wave, strong wind, hail, tornado, heat wave, coastal flooding, 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.

Violent crime
255
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
1,006
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Steamboat Springs's police department reported 255 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,006.

Routt County records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 16.0 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 13.3 per 100,000 residents in Routt County.

Homicide
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
16.0
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
13.3
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
24.7
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured

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 Steamboat Springs’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 Steamboat Springs (Routt County) rather than Steamboat Springs 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.
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 Yampa Valley at 21 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year92.9%Top 35%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle21 miBottom 43%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle7Top 13%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year4.6%Top 34%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Yampa ValleyHDN21 mi10,000 ft
Eagle County RgnlEGE58 mi9,000 ft
Shively FldSAA67 mi8,801 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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Area Score
53
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Moving to Steamboat Springs from somewhere else?

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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April 2025 to March 2026; March 2025 to February 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA 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 Steamboat Springs

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Steamboat Springs with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Steamboat Springs closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
8048718,525$109,659$1,055,900—