Scores by category

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

Safety21#12,338/15,637
Economy63#5,777/15,631
Housing57#6,464/14,977
Health53#7,400/15,609
Healthcare71#4,531/15,650
Environment99#211/15,453
Education49#8,031/15,649
Infrastructure72#4,404/15,650
Community38#9,762/15,651
Leisure & amenities45#8,622/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fruitvale, Colorado ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Mesa 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

Preventable hospital stays · low1,260 /100k
99/100Colorado 1,686 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMesa County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.1 µg/m³
96/100Colorado 5.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMesa County value
Primary care physicians · high125 /100k
94/100Colorado 84 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMesa County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
94/100Colorado 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMesa County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.43%
92/100Colorado 0.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Hospital quality rating · high4.3
91/100Colorado 4.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMesa County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high186 mi
1/100Colorado 40 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMesa County value
Suicide rate · high31.3 /100k
3/100Colorado 22.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMesa County value
Drought exposure · high86%
8/100Colorado 70%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMesa County value
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
11/100Colorado 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMesa County value
Firearm deaths · high21.3 /100k
13/100Colorado 15.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMesa County value
Grocery stores · low1.0 /10k
13/100Colorado 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMesa County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.2% (2015-2019) → 91.2% (2020-2024)
+7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 4.3× (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateWorsening
6.1% (2015-2019) → 11.3% (2020-2024)
+5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
23.0% (2015-2019) → 27.8% (2020-2024)
+4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$63,509 (2015-2019) → $77,887 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateWorsening
6.4% (2015-2019) → 9.9% (2020-2024)
+3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Fruitvale, Colorado improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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.

Improved2

Broadband+7 points84.2% → 91.2%
Household income+23%$63,509 → $77,887

Declined1

Price / income+1.1×3.2× → 4.3×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Fruitvale, Colorado between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.4 min2015-2019	22.0 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	41%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.0%2015-2019	27.8%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Broadband subscriptions	84.2%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+7 points	Improved	44%
Effective property tax rate	0.51%2015-2019	0.43%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	31%
High school diploma or higher	93.6%2015-2019	92.5%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.3×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4002015-2019	0.3662020-2024	−0.035	Within the margin of error	77%
Median household income	$63,5092015-2019	$77,8872020-2024	+23%	Improved	39%
Poverty rate	6.4%2015-2019	9.9%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Rent as share of income	22.7%2015-2019	25.4%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Rent-burdened households	28.1%2015-2019	28.5%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Unemployment rate	6.1%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.6%2015-2019	10.1%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%

“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 Fruitvale, Colorado five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fruitvale, 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, Fruitvale, Colorado itself moved −3.3 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

8,019 residents (±721)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 men (+3.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,019 residents (±721)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

White76%6,115
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino19%1,561
Asian0.4%†32
American Indian and Alaska Native0.4%†30
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.5%†281

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (+6.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

6,031 residents (±497)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

No high school diploma7.5%†452
High school or GED36%2,196
Some college20%1,179
Associate degree8.8%†529
Bachelor's degree20%1,229
Graduate degree7.4%†446

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (−8.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

3,368 households (±236)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $25k11%†369
$25k–50k17%579
$50k–75k20%667
$75k–100k17%581
$100k–150k19%637
$150k–200k11%†368
$200k or more5.0%†167

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−6.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,368 households (±236)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

Own93%3,119
Rent7.4%†249

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+5.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

249 households (±111)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $7505.6%†14
$750–1,0009.2%†23
$1,000–1,50024%†60

Home values

3,119 homes (±242)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $150k8.8%†275
$150k–250k15%456
$250k–400k52%1,626

Age of homes

3,525 homes (±239)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

2010 or later5.7%†202
2000–20098.8%310
1980–199948%1,703

Size of homes

3,525 homes (±239)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom1.5%†54
2 bedrooms15%529

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,977 workers (±458)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

Drive alone73%2,912
Carpool7.8%†312
Public transit2.3%†93
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.3%†12
Work from home14%†555
Other2.3%†93

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−8.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,422 workers (±406)

Fruitvale, Colorado
Colorado share

Under 15 min29%992
15–29 min57%1,948
30–44 min5.8%†197

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Grand Junction, 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 Mesa County, the county holding most of Fruitvale's residents.

Mesa County has 4,827 employer establishments, 302 for every 10,000 residents (1.22× the US rate of 248; 0.98× Colorado's), with 56,737 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,260. The Census Bureau also counts 14,516 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,827; 14,516 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 302; US 248 · Colorado 309
Paid employees: 56,737
Average annual pay: $54,260; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	394	24.7	1.59×More than typical	3,366	$66,402	1,203
Ambulatory health care services	372	23.3	1.12×About typical	5,261	$72,998	742
Lessors of real estate	334	20.9	1.70×More than typical	733	$48,662	1,920
Restaurants and other eating places	258	16.1	0.88×About typical	5,593	$24,446	33
Real estate agents and brokers	202	12.6	2.60×More than typical	337	$52,890	415
Construction of buildings	183	11.5	1.51×More than typical	870	$77,190	545
Building equipment contractors	165	10.3	1.72×More than typical	1,407	$61,555	161
Management, scientific and technical consulting	136	8.5	1.27×More than typical	373	$63,129	509
Services to buildings and dwellings	133	8.3	1.23×About typical	752	$38,887	839
Offices of other health practitioners	129	8.1	1.33×More than typical	617	$46,784	402
Automotive repair and maintenance	123	7.7	1.53×More than typical	582	$48,354	179
Limited-service restaurants	113	7.1	0.88×About typical	2,526	$20,689	14

Rank places for an industry Open Mesa County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 159,794 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fruitvale, Colorado: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

7.1KFY2017
3.4KFY2018
1.2KFY2019
3.1KFY2022
13.1KFY2025

What was bought

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 Fruitvale, Colorado, so they do not add up across cities.

Fruitvale, Colorado's figures are part of those of Mesa County, CO ($54.7M 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: Fruitvale is mostly in Mesa County.

See federal money in Mesa 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.

Fruitvale, Colorado is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jeff HurdR-CO-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 0.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

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

Mesa County70100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Grand Junction, CO69

Other cities and towns in Mesa 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

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