City · Pueblo County, Colorado

Pueblo, Colorado

Pueblo is a city in Pueblo County, Colorado, part of the Pueblo, CO metro area. It has 111,561 residents. Pueblo, Colorado has a quality-of-life score of 21 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,414 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Colorado it ranks #215 of 220 cities and towns. It ranks best on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low), mental health providers (high) and primary care shortage (low). It ranks worst on property crime rate (high), violent crime rate (high) and firearm deaths (high).

21Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,414 of 15,651 cities and towns
Colorado: #215 of 220 in CO
Population: 111,561 (2020-2024)
Land area: 57 mi²
Density: 1,970.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 0862000

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.

Safety1#15,541/15,637
Economy18#12,803/15,631
Housing26#11,092/14,977
Health13#13,605/15,609
Healthcare67#5,172/15,650
Environment90#1,586/15,453
Education24#11,968/15,649
Infrastructure52#7,537/15,650
Community19#12,634/15,651
Leisure & amenities14#13,385/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

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 AgencyPueblo County value
Mental health providers · high599 /100k
93/100Colorado 518 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePueblo County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Colorado 4.0United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationPueblo County value
Average commute time · low19.4 min
89/100Colorado 25.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Effective property tax rate · low0.52%
86/100Colorado 0.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Preventable hospital stays · low2,071 /100k
83/100Colorado 1,686 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePueblo County value

Weaknesses

Property crime rate · high3,513 /100k
1/100Colorado 2,144 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationPueblo County value
Violent crime rate · high944 /100k
1/100Colorado 422 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationPueblo County value
Firearm deaths · high33.6 /100k
1/100Colorado 15.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPueblo County value
Suicide rate · high33.6 /100k
2/100Colorado 22.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPueblo County value
Grocery stores · low0.6 /10k
3/100Colorado 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPueblo County value
Drug overdose deaths · high40.1 /100k
3/100Colorado 28.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPueblo County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.3% (2015-2019) → 88.0% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
33.6% (2015-2019) → 22.1% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$40,450 (2015-2019) → $56,664 (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Poverty rateImproving
23.5% (2015-2019) → 17.5% (2020-2024)
−6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
58.0% (2015-2019) → 52.8% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.5× (2015-2019) → 4.4× (2020-2024)
+25%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, Pueblo, Colorado improved on 8 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 6 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.

Improved8

Unemployment−3.5 points8.4% → 5.0%
Child poverty−12 points33.6% → 22.1%
Poverty−6 points23.5% → 17.5%
Broadband+15 points73.3% → 88.0%
Household income+40%$40,450 → $56,664

Declined1

Price / income+0.9×3.5× → 4.4×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Pueblo, Colorado between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.3 min2015-2019	19.4 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	46%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.9%2015-2019	23.7%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Improved	66%
Broadband subscriptions	73.3%2015-2019	88.0%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	79%
Child poverty rate	33.6%2015-2019	22.1%2020-2024	−12 points	Improved	85%
Effective property tax rate	0.57%2015-2019	0.52%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	25%
High school diploma or higher	87.3%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	27%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4752015-2019	0.4642020-2024	−0.011	Within the margin of error	61%
Median household income	$40,4502015-2019	$56,6642020-2024	+40%	Improved	74%
Poverty rate	23.5%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	−6 points	Improved	84%
Public transit commuters	1.0%2015-2019	1.0%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Rent as share of income	33.5%2015-2019	31.9%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Rent-burdened households	58.0%2015-2019	52.8%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Improved	72%
Unemployment rate	8.4%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Improved	92%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.1%2015-2019	7.1%2020-2024	−2 points	Improved	69%

“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 Pueblo, Colorado five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Pueblo, 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, Pueblo, Colorado itself moved +5.5 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

111,561 residents (±91)

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

46,414 households (±612)

Pueblo, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $25k23%10,716
$25k–50k21%9,737
$50k–75k20%9,262

Homes

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

Owners and renters

46,414 households (±612)

Pueblo, Colorado
Colorado share

Own61%28,518
Rent39%17,896

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+4.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

45,985 workers (±1,168)

Pueblo, Colorado
Colorado share

Drive alone79%36,409
Carpool10%4,653
Public transit1.0%†438

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 Pueblo, 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 Pueblo County, the county holding most of Pueblo's residents.

Pueblo County has 3,250 employer establishments, 191 for every 10,000 residents (0.77× the US rate of 248; 0.62× Colorado's), with 50,735 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,759. The Census Bureau also counts 10,776 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,250; 10,776 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 191; US 248 · Colorado 309
Paid employees: 50,735
Average annual pay: $51,759; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	350	20.6	0.99×About typical	5,481	$58,667	578
Specialty trade contractors	275	16.2	1.05×About typical	2,228	$59,412	920
Restaurants and other eating places	274	16.1	0.88×About typical	5,317	$21,921	71
Lessors of real estate	142	8.4	0.68×Fewer than typical	356	$38,579	1,133
Limited-service restaurants	125	7.4	0.92×About typical	2,797	$19,409	24
Full-service restaurants	118	6.9	0.90×About typical	2,200	$24,857	33
Construction of buildings	111	6.5	0.86×About typical	550	$57,949	366
Building equipment contractors	109	6.4	1.07×About typical	997	$57,095	155
Automotive repair and maintenance	95	5.6	1.11×About typical	535	$46,621	184
Offices of other health practitioners	94	5.5	0.91×About typical	620	$44,503	288
Insurance agencies and brokerages	91	5.4	1.22×About typical	291	$54,326	164
Offices of physicians	87	5.1	0.79×Fewer than typical	781	$120,857	100

Rank places for an industry Open Pueblo County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 169,878 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 $12.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Pueblo, Colorado: $111 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $12.4M; −20% vs FY2025
Per resident: $111; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.7%; US 30%
Single offer: 24%; 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 Railroad Administration$9M73%
Forest Service$2.3M18%
Defense Logistics Agency$478.7K3.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs$287.3K2.3%
Department of the Army$166.4K1.3%
Bureau of Reclamation$130.2K1.1%
Bureau of Land Management$33.4K0.3%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$17.3K0.1%

Top recipients

ENSCO INC$7.2M58%
TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY CENTER, INC.$489.6K4.0%
FREEMAN HOLDINGS OF COLORADO LLC$416.6K3.4%
CORSENTINO CONSTRUCTION, INC.$260.2K2.1%
MAIN ELECTRIC, LTD.$202.1K1.6%

Spending by fiscal year

15.5MFY2017
29MFY2018
26.2MFY2019
21.1MFY2020
29.6MFY2021
15.6MFY2022
20.8MFY2023
29.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$8M65%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$1.4M12%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$431.4K3.5%
Utility system construction · 2371$393.8K3.2%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$294.9K2.4%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Pueblo, Colorado

INSTALLATION OF A CHEMICAL INJECTION BUILDING$29M
THALLE CONSTRUCTION CO INC· Pueblo County, CO· Construction & real property· Feb 29, 2024 – Sep 10, 2026· 140R6024C0005
TAKE THE BEST RNT MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES OF TODAY AND PROVIDE SUPPORT TO DEVELOP A SOLUTION IN TWO YEARS.$4.7M
ENSCO INC· Pueblo County, CO· Research & development· Sep 11, 2026 – Sep 11, 2026· 693JJ626F00030N
INSTALL THE CURVED PERTURBATION SLAB TRACK AT TTC.$4.2M
ENSCO INC· Pueblo County, CO· Research & development· Feb 19, 2025 – Jun 23, 2026· 693JJ625F00006N
THE PURPOSE OF THIS TASK ORDER IS TO PROVIDE METHODOLOGY TO USE TTC EQUIPMENT AND TEST TRACK TO MEASURE VEHICLE PARAMETERS THAT CAN BE USED TO CREATE A VALIDATED VEHICLE MODEL TO BE USED FOR SIMULATION.

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

Pueblo, Colorado's figures are part of those of Pueblo County, CO ($84.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 15% of that total.

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

See federal money in Pueblo 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.

Pueblo, 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.

Pueblo County38100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Pueblo, CO36

Other cities and towns in Pueblo 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/0862000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends