Census-designated place · Jefferson County, Colorado

Columbine, Colorado

Columbine is a census-designated place in Jefferson County, Colorado, part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area. It has 25,478 residents. Columbine, Colorado has a quality-of-life score of 80 out of 100 (very high), ranking #3,129 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Colorado it ranks #71 of 220 cities and towns. It ranks best on high school diploma or higher (high), physical inactivity (low) and adult obesity (low). It ranks worst on rent as share of income (high), high ozone days (high) and property crime rate (high).

80Very high

Quality-of-life score: #3,129 of 15,651 cities and towns
Colorado: #71 of 220 in CO
Population: 25,478 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 3,840.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 0816110

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety31#10,735/15,637
Economy89#1,650/15,631
Housing8#13,751/14,977
Health80#3,105/15,609
Healthcare94#967/15,650
Environment38#9,641/15,453
Education93#1,049/15,649
Infrastructure89#1,749/15,650
Community89#1,686/15,651
Leisure & amenities63#5,848/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Columbine, Colorado ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Jefferson County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

High school diploma or higher · high97.3%
100/100Colorado 92.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Physical inactivity · low11.8%
99/100Colorado 19.0%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult obesity · low22.3%
97/100Colorado 27.1%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Access to exercise opportunities · high99.1%
97/100Colorado 89.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Child poverty rate · low3.9%
96/100Colorado 11.2%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Voter turnout · high80.3%
96/100Colorado 74.4%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionJefferson County value

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Colorado 31.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
High ozone days · high21 days
3/100Colorado 10 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyJefferson County value
Property crime rate · high2,591 /100k
4/100Colorado 2,144 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationJefferson County value
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
7/100Colorado 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJefferson County value
Drought exposure · high85%
8/100Colorado 70%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAJefferson County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
9/100Colorado 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesJefferson County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent as share of incomeWorsening
36.7% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
60.1% (2015-2019) → 68.8% (2020-2024)
+8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$101,731 (2015-2019) → $131,232 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
47.5% (2015-2019) → 53.2% (2020-2024)
+5.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.0× (2015-2019) → 4.7× (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
93.7% (2015-2019) → 97.2% (2020-2024)
+3.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Columbine, Colorado improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Bachelor's++5.7 points47.5% → 53.2%
Household income+29%$101,731 → $131,232
Broadband+3.5 points93.7% → 97.2%

Declined2

Rent / income+14 points36.7% → 51.0%
Price / income+0.7×4.0× → 4.7×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Columbine, Colorado between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.3 min2015-2019	26.4 min2020-2024	−2.9 min	Within the margin of error	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	47.5%2015-2019	53.2%2020-2024	+5.7 points	Improved	72%
Broadband subscriptions	93.7%2015-2019	97.2%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Improved	23%
Child poverty rate	4.8%2015-2019	3.9%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Effective property tax rate	0.61%2015-2019	0.54%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	30%
High school diploma or higher	97.5%2015-2019	97.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	4.7×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	34%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3852015-2019	0.3852020-2024	−0.000	Within the margin of error	51%
Median household income	$101,7312015-2019	$131,2322020-2024	+29%	Improved	53%
Poverty rate	3.9%2015-2019	4.3%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent as share of income	36.7%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+14 points	Declined	5%
Rent-burdened households	60.1%2015-2019	68.8%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Unemployment rate	2.3%2015-2019	4.1%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.0%2015-2019	3.1%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Columbine, Colorado five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Columbine, Colorado in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Columbine, Colorado itself moved −1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

25,478 residents (±1,564)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

9,511 households (±506)

Columbine, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $25k6.5%619
$25k–50k6.3%600
$50k–75k10%986

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

9,511 households (±506)

Columbine, Colorado
Colorado share

Own89%8,493
Rent11%1,018

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

12,866 workers (±772)

Columbine, Colorado
Colorado share

Drive alone69%8,826
Carpool6.5%†831
Public transit0.4%†56

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Jefferson County, the county holding most of Columbine's residents.

Jefferson County has 17,999 employer establishments, 311 for every 10,000 residents (1.25× the US rate of 248; 1.01× Colorado's), with 210,701 paid employees at an average annual pay of $61,901. The Census Bureau also counts 61,773 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 17,999; 61,773 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 311; US 248 · Colorado 309
Paid employees: 210,701
Average annual pay: $61,901; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Jefferson County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,587	27.5	1.32×More than typical	14,081	$71,762	3,612
Specialty trade contractors	1,490	25.8	1.66×More than typical	10,879	$70,867	3,853
Lessors of real estate	1,191	20.6	1.67×More than typical	2,864	$65,732	7,061
Restaurants and other eating places	1,107	19.1	1.04×About typical	21,783	$27,331	161
Management, scientific and technical consulting	880	15.2	2.27×More than typical	3,699	$79,715	3,736
Real estate agents and brokers	733	12.7	2.61×More than typical	909	$64,829	2,009
Offices of other health practitioners	668	11.6	1.90×More than typical	2,820	$47,576	2,287
Building equipment contractors	605	10.5	1.74×More than typical	5,508	$71,554	689
Architectural, engineering and related services	599	10.4	2.97×More than typical	7,895	$111,812	937
Construction of buildings	547	9.5	1.25×More than typical	3,303	$86,554	1,676
Computer systems design and related services	502	8.7	2.01×More than typical	4,745	$128,676	1,119
Limited-service restaurants	473	8.2	1.02×About typical	9,484	$22,952	56

Rank places for an industry Open Jefferson County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 578,084 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $905.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Columbine, Colorado: $35.54 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $905.5K; −33% vs FY2025
Per resident: $35.54; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.5%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.5%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$690.2K76%
Department of the Air Force$88.8K9.8%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$43.8K4.8%
Department of the Army$31.7K3.5%
Departmental Offices$17.6K1.9%
Defense Logistics Agency$16.7K1.8%
Federal Prison Industries / Unicor$16.7K1.8%

Top recipients

AMERICAN WEST CONSTRUCTION, LLC$299.2K33%
PELICAN RESIDENCES LLC$248K27%
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP$88.8K9.8%
HEROX, PBC$43.8K4.8%
COLORADO CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE INC$31.7K3.5%

Spending by fiscal year

135.5KFY2017
162.5KFY2018
364.8KFY2019
186.4KFY2020
1.1MFY2021
1.2MFY2022
645KFY2023
516.5K

Top industries (NAICS)

Utility system construction · 2371$330.9K37%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$245.2K27%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$88.8K9.8%
Employment services · 5613$69.9K7.7%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$43.8K4.8%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Columbine, Colorado, so they do not add up across cities.

Columbine, Colorado's figures are part of those of Jefferson County, CO and Arapahoe County, CO ($3B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Columbine is mostly in Jefferson County.

See federal money in Jefferson County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Columbine, Colorado is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO78

Other cities and towns in Jefferson County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0816110

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends