AreaProfile

Colorado Springs, CO

Metro Area Profile

767,824 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Colorado Springs, CO metropolitan area.

62
Area Score
Bottom 44% of 361 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity201st of 361 published metros53
GrowthTop 25% of 440 published metros65
Housing affordability382nd of 441 published metros66
Climate295th of 441 published metros62
Physical resilience303rd of 441 published metros42
AccessTop 1% of 441 published metros100
Economic stabilityTop 2% of 441 published metros95
The quick read

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 5,487 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 29% on the prior year.

Housing costs more relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles, with rent taking 23% of median household income.

A major airport is 4 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

At a glance

Population
767,824
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$90,144
Top 8% nationally
Density
286/sq mi
2683.6 sq mi of land
Median age
35.5
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Colorado Springs, CO
Nearest major airport
COS
4 mi · City of Colorado Springs Muni
Median home value
$461,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.1% is lower than 54% of the 361 measured US metros.

Employment fell 2.7% over the past year, to 369,714 employed residents.

42% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 92% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 92% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$1,355$90,144Top 8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$668$46,283Top 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate8.5%Bottom 6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute25.2 minTop 37%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher41.7%Top 8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment369,714Top 21%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-2.3%Bottom 16%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-2.7%Bottom 9%June 2026
Labor force385,511Top 21%June 2026
Labor force participation68.3%Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$70,780Top 13%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$52,710Top 17%2025 OEWS
Metro employment316,060Top 22%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.0%Bottom 46%June 2026
Unemployment rate4.1%Bottom 46%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/066.42.8
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.1% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Colorado Springs, CO
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers11,470$34,420
Stockers and Order Fillers9,110$41,440
Retail Salespersons8,820$36,060
Registered Nurses6,800$96,140
Cashiers5,900$35,740
Home Health and Personal Care Aides5,730$37,530

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,699 takes 23% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 5.1 times median household income here, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Rent as a share of income
22.6%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
5.1×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,699
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$461,800
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income5.12Top 12%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate66.8%Bottom 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±195317,156Top 8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$20$1,699Top 5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,780$461,800Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income22.6%Top 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate4.8%Bottom 1%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
65/ 100
Top 25% of 440 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

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 777,634 in 2024.

At 7.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
5,487
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
7.1
Top 18% nationally
Year over year
+29%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
41.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024778k759k
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.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 19°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 15.9 inches, including 32.5 inches of snow.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station COLORADO SPRINGS MUNI AP, 3.6 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND3.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation15.9"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall32.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low19°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high87°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing41°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

42 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are wildfire and hail.

WildfireHigh
HailElevated

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

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

7 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 4 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
City of Colorado Springs MuniCOS4 mi13,500 ft
Pueblo MemlPUB39 mi10,498 ft
CentennialAPA51 mi10,001 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.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
62
Your Score

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 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 browse every source.