Town · Archuleta County, Colorado

Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Pagosa Springs is a town in Archuleta County, Colorado. It has 2,090 residents. Pagosa Springs, Colorado has a quality-of-life score of 56 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,843 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Colorado it ranks #136 of 220 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and restaurants and bars (high). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), drug overdose deaths (high) and suicide rate (high).

56Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,843 of 15,651 cities and towns
Colorado: #136 of 220 in CO
Population: 2,090 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 412.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 0856860

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.

Safety45#8,553/15,637
Economy40#9,333/15,631
Housing30#10,410/14,977
Health59#6,356/15,609
Healthcare39#9,513/15,650
Environment91#1,404/15,453
Education36#10,006/15,649
Infrastructure45#8,653/15,650
Community86#2,153/15,651
Leisure & amenities68#4,950/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Pagosa Springs, Colorado ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Archuleta 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 · low954 /100k
100/100Colorado 1,686 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteArchuleta County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.0 µg/m³
99/100Colorado 5.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyArchuleta County value
Restaurants and bars · high25.2 /10k
99/100Colorado 9.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsArchuleta County value
Voter turnout · high84.6%
99/100Colorado 74.4%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionArchuleta County value
Hot days · low0 days
98/100Colorado 23 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationArchuleta County value
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Colorado 4.0%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high155 mi
2/100Colorado 40 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauArchuleta County value
Drug overdose deaths · high42.1 /100k
3/100Colorado 28.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataArchuleta County value
Suicide rate · high29.6 /100k
4/100Colorado 22.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataArchuleta County value
Firearm deaths · high27.0 /100k
4/100Colorado 15.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataArchuleta County value
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
4/100Colorado 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsArchuleta County value
Job growth · low-3.4%
5/100Colorado -0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataArchuleta County value

Trends

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

Median household incomeImproving
$25,375 (2015-2019) → $50,785 (2020-2024)
+100%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
34.0% (2015-2019) → 16.6% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
67.3% (2015-2019) → 84.0% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
9.7 min (2015-2019) → 17.7 min (2020-2024)
+82%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
New homes permittedWorsening
20.7 /1k (2021) → 10.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Unemployment rateImproving
8.7% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Pagosa Springs, Colorado improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved3

Unemployment−8.7 points8.7% → 0.0%
Household income+100%$25,375 → $50,785
Broadband+17 points67.3% → 84.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Pagosa Springs, Colorado between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	9.7 min2015-2019	17.7 min2020-2024	+8.0 min	Within the margin of error	4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.6%2015-2019	23.4%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Broadband subscriptions	67.3%2015-2019	84.0%2020-2024	+17 points	Improved	84%
Effective property tax rate	0.42%2015-2019	0.32%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
High school diploma or higher	85.4%2015-2019	90.9%2020-2024	+5.5 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Home price to income ratio	9.0×2015-2019	7.4×2020-2024	−1.6×	Within the margin of error	99%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4762015-2019	0.4152020-2024	−0.061	Within the margin of error	88%
Median household income	$25,3752015-2019	$50,7852020-2024	+100%	Improved	98%
Poverty rate	25.3%2015-2019	18.2%2020-2024	−7.1 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Rent as share of income	31.7%2015-2019	32.4%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent-burdened households	54.4%2015-2019	52.3%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Unemployment rate	8.7%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	−8.7 points	Improved	99%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	21.8%2015-2019	16.2%2020-2024	−5.6 points	Within the margin of error	89%

“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 Pagosa Springs, Colorado five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Pagosa Springs, 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, Pagosa Springs, Colorado itself moved +7 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

2,090 residents (±467)

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: 10–19 men (+6.5 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,090 residents (±467)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

White39%†825
Black0.1%†3
Hispanic or Latino50%1,048

Education

1,361 residents (±321)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

No high school diploma9.1%†124
High school or GED33%†455
Some college28%

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

775 households (±179)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $25k24%†189
$25k–50k24%†185
$50k–75k15%†116
$75k–100k17%†130
$100k–150k14%†109
$150k–200k4.0%†31
$200k or more1.9%†15

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−25.3 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

775 households (±179)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Own48%†375
Rent52%400

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+13.2 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

400 households (±119)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $7508.0%†32
$750–1,00023%†93
$1,000–1,50037%†146

Home values

375 homes (±116)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $150k0.8%†3
$150k–250k26%†97
$250k–400k28%†105

Age of homes

1,148 homes (±182)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

2010 or later15%†175
2000–200923%†265
1980–199915%†175

Size of homes

1,148 homes (±182)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Studio1.5%†17
1 bedroom15%†172
2 bedrooms28%†325

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

1,065 workers (±270)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Drive alone65%†697
Carpool20%†208
Public transit1.9%†20
Walk3.3%†35
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.9%†84
Other2.0%†21

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (+14.2 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

981 workers (±258)

Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under 15 min57%563
15–29 min28%†274
30–44 min2.8%†27

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

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 Archuleta County, the county holding most of Pagosa Springs's residents.

Archuleta County has 576 employer establishments, 407 for every 10,000 residents (1.64× the US rate of 248; 1.32× Colorado's), with 4,204 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,284. The Census Bureau also counts 2,423 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 576; 2,423 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 407; US 248 · Colorado 309
Paid employees: 4,204
Average annual pay: $39,284; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	68	48	3.10×More than typical	223	$54,861	277
Lessors of real estate	56	39.6	3.21×More than typical	214	$38,364	294
Restaurants and other eating places	42	29.7	1.62×More than typical	679	$27,962	4
Construction of buildings	36	25.4	3.36×More than typical	119	$56,899	207
Full-service restaurants	29	20.5	2.67×More than typical	476	$31,361	—
Ambulatory health care services	23	16.2	0.78×Fewer than typical	148	$50,574	109
Real estate agents and brokers	23	16.2	3.34×More than typical	97	$44,835	80
Building equipment contractors	22	15.5	2.58×More than typical	53	$42,302	55
Traveler accommodation	19	13.4	7.44×More than typical	236	$36,496	18
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	17	12	3.81×More than typical	59	$59,814	41
Building finishing contractors	16	11.3	2.97×More than typical	75	$49,747	96
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	14	9.9	3.72×More than typical	383	$24,546	28

Rank places for an industry Open Archuleta County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 14,156 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Archuleta 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.

Pagosa Springs, 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.

Archuleta County72100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Archuleta County

Largest first.

Arboles389

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

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