Scores by category

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

Safety67#5,182/15,637
Economy84#2,563/15,631
Housing11#13,373/14,977
Health89#1,737/15,609
Healthcare82#2,763/15,650
Environment96#570/15,453
Education99#148/15,649
Infrastructure89#1,796/15,650
Community99#230/15,651
Leisure & amenities99#93/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Steamboat Springs, Colorado ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Routt 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 · low576 /100k
100/100Colorado 1,686 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRoutt County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high25.3 /10k
100/100Colorado 6.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRoutt County value
Hot days · low0 days
100/100Colorado 23 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationRoutt County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.1 µg/m³
99/100Colorado 5.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRoutt County value
Restaurants and bars · high24.5 /10k
99/100Colorado 9.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRoutt County value
Child poverty rate · low0.1%
99/100Colorado 11.2%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high39.9 /100k
1/100Colorado 22.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionRoutt County value
Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Colorado 70%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAARoutt County value
Home price to income ratio · high9.4×
2/100Colorado 5.7×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Distance to an airport · high125 mi
5/100Colorado 40 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauRoutt County value
Rent-burdened households · high61.4%
10/100Colorado 52.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.489
12/100Colorado 0.458United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
43.2% (2015-2019) → 61.4% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
13.6% (2015-2019) → 0.1% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
12.2% (2015-2019) → 4.7% (2020-2024)
−7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
27.7% (2015-2019) → 34.9% (2020-2024)
+7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$77,419 (2015-2019) → $104,964 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
56.4% (2015-2019) → 62.2% (2020-2024)
+5.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Steamboat Springs, Colorado improved on 2 of 13 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.

Improved2

Poverty−7.5 points12.2% → 4.7%
Household income+36%$77,419 → $104,964

Declined2

Rent burden+18 points43.2% → 61.4%
Rent / income+7.2 points27.7% → 34.9%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Steamboat Springs, Colorado between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.3 min2015-2019	14.3 min2020-2024	−2.0 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	56.4%2015-2019	62.2%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Broadband subscriptions	93.4%2015-2019	92.9%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Effective property tax rate	0.32%2015-2019	0.29%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	21%
High school diploma or higher	96.4%2015-2019	97.4%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Home price to income ratio	7.5×2015-2019	9.4×2020-2024	+1.8×	Within the margin of error	5%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4912015-2019	0.4892020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	53%
Median household income	$77,4192015-2019	$104,9642020-2024	+36%	Improved	66%
Poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	4.7%2020-2024	−7.5 points	Improved	88%
Rent as share of income	27.7%2015-2019	34.9%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Declined	15%
Rent-burdened households	43.2%2015-2019	61.4%2020-2024	+18 points	Declined	10%
Unemployment rate	3.8%2015-2019	3.0%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.9%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	52%

“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 Steamboat Springs, Colorado five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Steamboat 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, Steamboat Springs, Colorado itself moved −10.4 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

13,433 residents (±20)

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: 30–39 men (−3.9 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

13,433 residents (±20)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

White78%10,416
Black0.2%†26
Hispanic or Latino10%1,347

Education

10,075 residents (±228)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

No high school diploma2.6%†261
High school or GED13%1,262
Some college14%1,417

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

6,425 households (±304)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $25k8.2%†529
$25k–50k16%1,018
$50k–75k14%908
$75k–100k11%†678
$100k–150k15%950
$150k–200k13%†838
$200k or more23%1,504

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+11.6 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

6,425 households (±304)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Own67%4,320
Rent33%2,105

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,983 households (±332)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $7504.2%†83
$750–1,0004.2%†83
$1,000–1,50015%†301

Home values

4,320 homes (±342)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under $150k8.3%†357
$150k–250k2.8%†120
$250k–400k8.4%†365

Age of homes

10,942 homes (±272)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

2010 or later11%1,202
2000–200926%2,889
1980–199938%4,109

Size of homes

10,942 homes (±272)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Studio2.3%†250
1 bedroom11%1,180
2 bedrooms31%3,351

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

7,870 workers (±379)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Drive alone63%4,969
Carpool6.0%†471
Public transit2.2%†176
Walk2.2%†177
Bike2.2%†171
Work from home23%1,817
Other1.1%†89

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+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

6,053 workers (±409)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Colorado share

Under 15 min65%3,956
15–29 min27%1,625
30–44 min3.2%†193

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 Steamboat Springs, 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 Routt County, the county holding most of Steamboat Springs's residents.

Routt County has 1,860 employer establishments, 735 for every 10,000 residents (2.96× the US rate of 248; 2.38× Colorado's), with 15,390 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,721. The Census Bureau also counts 4,450 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,860; 4,450 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 735; US 248 · Colorado 309
Paid employees: 15,390
Average annual pay: $48,721; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	224	88.6	5.72×More than typical	872	$72,828	388
Lessors of real estate	166	65.6	5.33×More than typical	627	$57,880	863
Ambulatory health care services	114	45.1	2.16×More than typical	611	$67,116	227
Construction of buildings	114	45.1	5.96×More than typical	303	$75,696	151
Restaurants and other eating places	110	43.5	2.37×More than typical	2,382	$29,622	14
Real estate agents and brokers	94	37.2	7.64×More than typical	148	$87,527	136
Building finishing contractors	86	34	8.95×More than typical	226	$69,128	152
Services to buildings and dwellings	74	29.3	4.34×More than typical	261	$62,582	231
Full-service restaurants	66	26.1	3.40×More than typical	1,900	$29,555	9
Building equipment contractors	65	25.7	4.27×More than typical	310	$64,052	47
Architectural, engineering and related services	56	22.1	6.35×More than typical	217	$80,018	40
Management, scientific and technical consulting	54	21.4	3.18×More than typical	137	$127,547	271

Rank places for an industry Open Routt County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,290 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 $4,090 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Steamboat Springs, Colorado: $0.30 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $4,090; +31% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.30; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 19%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

National Aeronautics and Space Administration$2,79668%
Forest Service$1,29532%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.9KFY2017
24.8KFY2018
16.9KFY2019
9.8KFY2020
28.1KFY2021
15.3KFY2022
28.5KFY2023
23.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$2,79668%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing · 5324$79219%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$50312%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Steamboat Springs, Colorado, so they do not add up across cities.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado's figures are part of those of Routt County, CO ($189.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Routt 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.

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

House

Joe NeguseD-CO-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.1%

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.

Routt County97100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Steamboat Springs, CO97

Other cities and towns in Routt 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/0873825

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends