Town · Weld County, Colorado

Mead, Colorado

Mead is a town in Weld County, Colorado, part of the Greeley, CO metro area. It has 5,919 residents. Mead, Colorado has a quality-of-life score of 54 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,232 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Colorado it ranks #144 of 220 cities and towns. It ranks best on poverty rate (low), child poverty rate (low) and physical inactivity (low). It ranks worst on pharmacies (low), high ozone days (high) and grocery stores (low).

54Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,232 of 15,651 cities and towns
Colorado: #144 of 220 in CO
Population: 5,919 (2020-2024)
Land area: 15 mi²
Density: 382.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 0849600

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety33#10,447/15,637
Economy97#521/15,631
Housing35#9,759/14,977
Health78#3,395/15,609
Healthcare63#5,743/15,650
Environment17#12,768/15,453
Education70#4,746/15,649
Infrastructure54#7,260/15,650
Community56#6,949/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,849/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Poverty rate · low1.4%
98/100Colorado 9.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Child poverty rate · low0.7%
98/100Colorado 11.2%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Physical inactivity · low15.6%
93/100Colorado 19.0%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
New homes permitted · high13.5 /1k
92/100Colorado 5.6 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.347
92/100Colorado 0.458United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Hospital quality rating · high4.3
91/100Colorado 4.0United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWeld County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.5 /10k
4/100Colorado 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWeld County value
High ozone days · high11 days
5/100Colorado 10 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWeld County value
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
5/100Colorado 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWeld County value
Restaurants and bars · low5.2 /10k
12/100Colorado 9.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWeld County value
Median Air Quality Index · high52
12/100Colorado 482025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWeld County value
Social associations · low6.3 /10k
14/100Colorado 8.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWeld County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
4,631 (2015-2019) → 5,919 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
1.7 /1k (2021) → 13.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+697%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
51.8% (2015-2019) → 34.4% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
35.3% (2015-2019) → 19.6% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
34.7% (2015-2019) → 50.3% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.5× (2015-2019) → 4.7× (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Mead, Colorado improved on 2 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 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

Bachelor's++16 points34.7% → 50.3%
Household income+21%$103,393 → $125,357

Declined1

Price / income+1.1×3.5× → 4.7×

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Mead, Colorado between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	32.3 min2015-2019	30.6 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Within the margin of error	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.7%2015-2019	50.3%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	98%
Broadband subscriptions	93.4%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Effective property tax rate	0.63%2015-2019	0.66%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	13%
High school diploma or higher	91.1%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	4.7×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3602015-2019	0.3472020-2024	−0.013	Within the margin of error	62%
Median household income	$103,3932015-2019	$125,3572020-2024	+21%	Improved	35%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.6%2015-2019	4.2%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Within the margin of error	84%

“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 Mead, Colorado five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mead, 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, Mead, Colorado itself moved −1.5 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

5,919 residents (±23)

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

1,978 households (±198)

Mead, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $25k3.7%†74
$25k–50k7.7%†153
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,978 households (±198)

Mead, Colorado
Colorado share

Own94%1,853
Rent6.3%†125

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

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,425 workers (±240)

Mead, Colorado
Colorado share

Drive alone66%2,257
Carpool9.7%†332
Public transit0.0%0

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 Greeley, 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 Weld County, the county holding most of Mead's residents.

Weld County has 7,454 employer establishments, 206 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 0.67× Colorado's), with 101,420 paid employees at an average annual pay of $65,135. The Census Bureau also counts 32,515 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,454; 32,515 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 206; US 248 · Colorado 309
Paid employees: 101,420
Average annual pay: $65,135; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	873	24.2	1.56×More than typical	7,710	$69,484	2,947
Ambulatory health care services	466	12.9	0.62×Fewer than typical	4,700	$65,411	1,174
Restaurants and other eating places	447	12.4	0.67×Fewer than typical	8,640	$22,794	103
Lessors of real estate	386	10.7	0.87×About typical	1,491	$53,661	3,158
Services to buildings and dwellings	311	8.6	1.28×More than typical	3,115	$48,317	1,754
Building equipment contractors	306	8.5	1.41×More than typical	2,665	$66,679	493
Truck transportation	306	8.5	1.68×More than typical	2,252	$73,771	1,285
Construction of buildings	245	6.8	0.90×About typical	6,158	$125,163	1,101
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	239	6.6	2.10×More than typical	2,196	$70,531	667
Real estate agents and brokers	205	5.7	1.17×About typical	650	$56,591	897
Limited-service restaurants	193	5.3	0.67×Fewer than typical	4,380	$21,082	42
Automotive repair and maintenance	188	5.2	1.03×About typical	948	$56,276	528

Rank places for an industry Open Weld County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 360,971 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 $732.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Mead, Colorado: $124 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $732.8K; −50% vs FY2025
Per resident: $124; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 82%; 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

Department of the Air Force$600.4K82%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$87.3K12%
Department of Energy$37.3K5.1%
Bureau of Reclamation$6,8740.9%
Federal Aviation Administration$2,8100.4%
Forest Service$29.950.0%

Top recipients

URSA MAJOR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$600.4K82%
ONERAIN INCORPORATED$89.5K12%
PROTECTION STRATEGIES INC$39.2K5.3%
CREATIVE MECHANICAL & WELDING SERVICES, INC.$3,0330.4%
LONERGAN ELECTRIC SERVICE INC$2,8100.4%

Spending by fiscal year

166.5KFY2017
112.3KFY2018
165.1KFY2019
328.1KFY2020
235.5KFY2021
165KFY2022
143.4KFY2023
432.1K

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$600.4K82%
Investigation and security services · 5616$126.5K17%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$3,0330.4%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$2,8100.4%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$2,1500.3%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415

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

Mead, Colorado's figures are part of those of Weld County, CO ($45.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.6% of that total.

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

See federal money in Weld 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.

Mead, 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.

Weld County57100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Greeley, CO50

Other cities and towns in Weld 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/0849600

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends