County profile

El Paso County / Colorado Springs, CO

Reading this county

El Paso County runs from the plains west to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, and Colorado Springs is its seat. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has kept its hall of fame and museum in the city since 1979. Five military installations stand in and around Colorado Springs, the median age is 34, and property taxes are lower than the rate in 92% of counties. A median home costs $466K where a household typically earns $82K.

Mountains: 8,333'⁸: 8,333 feet of elevation change nearby, more than in 94% of counties. Pikes Peak rises off the western edge of Colorado Springs, and a cog railway has climbed it since 1891. >94% of 3,143 counties
Hiking: 353: 353 mapped hiking trails, and only 24 counties in the country have more. Garden of the Gods was deeded to Colorado Springs in 1909 on the condition that it stay free to the public forever. >99% of 3,143 counties
Median Age: 34 years¹¹: A median age of 34, younger than in 91% of counties. Five military installations stand in and around Colorado Springs, among them Fort Carson and the United States Air Force Academy. <91% of 3,143 counties
Property Tax: 0.45%: A property tax rate of 0.45%, lower than the rate in 92% of counties. The county assessor also decides exemptions for seniors, for veterans with a disability, and for Gold Star spouses. <92% of 3,143 counties
The trade-off — Median Home Price: $466K⁴: A median home of $466K against a typical household income of $82K, a price higher than in 93% of counties. El Paso County's housing authority lends part of a down payment at 0% and forgives it over time. >93% of 3,143 counties

NORAD's annual tradition of tracking Santa's course every Christmas eve began when Sears in Colorado Springs accidentally published NORAD's number (then CORAD) as a hotline to Santa - and the duty officer receiving the calls chose to play along.

Demographics and county data

Each comparison is against the US counties that publish the same measurement. Measurements where too many counties share a single value to be ranked show no comparison at all.

Abortion Regulation: Legal (Unlimited)
ACT/SAT Scores: #17
Air Quality: 6.2¹
Alcohol Regulation: #37
All Occupations: $72K¹
American Indians/Alaskan Natives: ↓-1.5%
Amish, Mennonites, etc: ↓-1.6%⁷
Any Airport: 0h 21m
Any Natural Disaster: Medium³
Architecture & Engineering: $103K¹⁰
Art Museums: 1
Arts, Design, Sports, Media & Entertainment: $72K¹⁰
Asian Americans: ↑1.2%
Asian Language Speakers: ↑0.8%
Avalanche: Very Low³
Average School Rating: 53.3⁶
Beergardens & Brewpubs: 12
Bike Score: 45
Blacks/African Americans: ↓-2.9%
Boating: 7
Broadband Internet: 91%
Buddhists: ↑0.2%⁷
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance: $40K¹⁰
Business & Financial Operations: $88K¹⁰
Cannabis Regulation: Legal
Cat Friendly Rentals: 53%
Catholics: ↓-5.0%⁷
City Population: 479K
Climate Change Risk: 2.3
Coastal Flooding: none³
Cold Wave: High³
Community & Social Service: $57K¹⁰
Commute Time: 24
Computer & Mathematical: $117K¹⁰
Construction & Extraction: $57K¹⁰
County Population: 738K
Cuisine Diversity: 36
Cycling: 19
Dentists: 10.4
Dog Friendly Rentals: 67%
Drought: Low³
Earthquakes: Low³
Education, Training, & Library: $58K¹⁰
Educational Attainment: 34%
Elevation: 6,427'⁸
English Speakers: ↓-0.3%
Farmers Markets: 19
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry: $41K¹⁰
Fatal Dog Attacks: 0
Fatal Wildlife Attacks: 0
Financial Relocation Incentives: $8,000
Fire Ants: none
Fishing: 56
Food Preparation & Serving Related: $37K¹⁰
Forests: 17%
Freshwater Access: 63
Gluten-Free Options: 9
Golf: 20
Gun Open Carry Regulation: Legal (Unrestricted)
Hail: High³
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical: $100K¹⁰
Healthcare Support: $40K¹⁰
Heat Wave: none³
High School Graduation Rate: 74%¹
Hiking: 353
Hindus: ↓-0.0%⁷
Hispanics/Latinos: ↑7.9%
History Museums: 5
Home Ownership Rate: 64%
Homelessness: 158
Homicide Rate: 6¹
Hospitals: 3
Hurricanes: none³
Ice Storms: Low³
Indo-European Language Speakers: ↑0.6%
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair: $60K¹⁰
Investment Potential: 10 / 100
Jehovah's Witnesses: ↓-0.5%⁷
Jews: ↑0.0%⁷
Landslide: Very Low³
LDS / Mormons: ↑0.8%⁷
Legal: $131K¹⁰
Life Expectancy: 79¹
Life, Physical, & Social Science: $88K¹⁰
Lightning: High³
Live Music: 40
Major Airport: 1h 24m
Major City Proximity: Major City
Major League Baseball: 1h 13m
Major League Soccer: 1h 20m
Management: $149K¹⁰
Median Age: 34 years
Median Home Price: $466K
Median Rental - 1 BR Apartment: $1,588
Median Rental - 2 BR Apartment: $1,918
Median Rental - 3 BR Apartment: $2,688
Median Rental - 4 BR Apartment: $3,071
Median Rental - Room: $821
Median Rental - Single Family Home: $2,428⁴
Median Rental - Studio Apartment: $1,315
Mental Health Providers: 34.2
Meth Labs: 1
Michelin Rated Restaurants: none
Minor League Baseball: 5h 54m
Mountains: 8,333'
Multiracials: ↑2.4%
Muslims: ↓-0.2%⁷
National Parks: 2h 56m
Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders: ↑0.2%
NBA Basketball: 1h 12m
NFL Football: 1h 12m
NHL Hockey: 1h 12m
Not Religious / Atheists / Agnostics: ↑11.0%
Nuclear Strike: Direct Target
Obesity Rate: 23%¹
Office & Administrative Support: $49K¹⁰
Orthodox Christians: ↓-0.1%⁷
Other Language Speakers: ↓-0.2%
Other Relocation Incentives: none
Park Score: 76%⁹
People 0-9 Years Old: ↑1.6%
People 10-19 Years Old: ↑0.8%
People 20-29 Years Old: ↑4.3%
People 30-39 Years Old: ↑2.6%
People 40-49 Years Old: ↑0.1%
People 50-59 Years Old: ↓-1.5%
People 60-69 Years Old: ↓-3.0%
People 70-79 Years Old: ↓-3.1%
People 80+ Years Old: ↓-1.8%
Performing Arts: 1
Personal Care & Service: $42K¹⁰
Political Orientation: 68% Dems
Population Density: 343
Population Growth: ↑0.8%
Poverty Rate: 9.1%
Primary Care Physicians: 6.1¹
Private/Home School Regulation: #19
Production: $48K¹⁰
Property Crime Rate: 3,667
Property Tax: 0.45%
Protective Service: $58K¹⁰
Protestants / Non-Denominationals: ↓-13.5%⁷
Rain: 16"
Regional Theatre: 1
River Flooding: Medium³
Sales & Related: $61K¹⁰
Sales Tax: 9.0%
Same Sex Households: ↑0.1%
Scenic Beauty: #5
Seasons: 42 °F
Shark Attacks: 0
Single Parent Households: ↓-3.1%
Skiing: 1h 02m
Small or Major Airport: 0h 21m
Smokers: 15%¹
Snow: 93"
Spanish Speakers: ↑1.0%
State Income Tax: 4.6%
Strong Wind: Low³
Summer Heat: 83 °F
Summer Mugginess: none
Sunny Days: 243
Termite Infestation: Light
Tobacco Regulation: #14
Top School Rating: 97.2⁶
Tornadoes: High³
Traffic: 792K
Transit Score: 19
Transportation & Material Moving: $49K¹⁰
Tsunami: none³
Typical Expenses: $134K⁵
Typical Expenses: $99K⁵
Typical Expenses: $88K⁵
Typical Expenses: $158K⁵
Typical Expenses: $156K⁵
Typical Expenses: $55K⁵
Typical Expenses: $73K⁵
Typical Expenses: $123K⁵
Typical Expenses: $108K⁵
Typical Expenses: $96K⁵
Typical Expenses: $107K⁵
Typical Expenses: $73K⁵
Unemployment Rate: 7.3%¹
Vegetarian Friendliness: 13
Violent Crime Rate: 400²
Volcanic Activity: none³
Walk Score: 36
Water Quality: 2/4
Whites: ↓-7.3%
Wildfires: Medium³
Windiness: 21 mph
Wineries: 6
Winter Cold: 42 °F
Winter Weather: Low³

Cities

Air Force Academy, Alta Vista, Black Forest, Broadmoor, Buttes, Calhan, Cascade, Cascade-Chipita Park, Chipita Park, Cimarron Hills, Colorado Springs, Duffield, Eastonville, Ellicott, Elsmere, Falcon, Fort Carson, Fountain, Glen Eyrie, Gleneagle, Green Mountain Falls, Henkel, Ivywild, Kelker, La Foret, Manitou Springs, Minnehaha, Monument, Palmer Lake, Peyton, Ramah, Rock Creek Park, Rush, Security-Widefield, Shirley, Skinners, Stratmoor, Stratmoor Hills, Stratton Meadows, Truckton, Wigwam, Woodmoor, Yoder