Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety11#818/924
Economy19#745/925
Housing52#446/925
Health48#480/925
Healthcare30#646/923
Environment99#6/917
Education31#635/925
Infrastructure13#804/925
Community56#406/925
Leisure & amenities52#446/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cañon City, CO micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.3 µg/m³
98/100Colorado 5.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · low0.36%
95/100Colorado 0.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Median Air Quality Index · low23
95/100Colorado 482025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Adult obesity · low30.4%
92/100Colorado 27.1%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Hot days · low2 days
92/100Colorado 23 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · low1,709 /100k
91/100Colorado 1,686 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high47.7 /100k
0/100Colorado 22.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Income adjusted for local prices · low$47,093
2/100Colorado $80,595United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Some college · low41.7%
2/100Colorado 74.4%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high29.8 /100k
4/100Colorado 15.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · high135 /100k
7/100Colorado 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · high15.5 mi
7/100Colorado 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.4 /10k (2020) → 1.0 /10k (2025)
+144%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
53.7% (2010 & 2021) → 80.4% (2022 & 2024)
+27 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New business applicationsImproving
8.0 /1k (2020) → 13.8 /1k (2025)
+72%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
26.5% (2020 & 2021) → 37.0% (2023 & 2024)
+10 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.5× (2015-2019) → 5.2× (2020-2024)
+47%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
42.0% (2019) → 33.0% (2023)
−9 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%

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, Cañon City, CO micropolitan area improved on 16 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 7 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Gyms+144%0.4 /10k → 1.0 /10k
Pharmacies+30%0.6 /10k → 0.8 /10k
New businesses+72%8.0 /1k → 13.8 /1k
Traffic deaths−12%16.9 /100k → 14.9 /100k
Arts & recreation+22%4.9 /10k → 6.0 /10k

Declined2

Price / income+1.6×3.5× → 5.2×
Suicides+11%43.0 /100k → 47.7 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Cañon City, CO micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.9 /10k2020	6.0 /10k2025	+22%	Improved	77%
Average commute time	23.4 min2015-2019	24.7 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Within the margin of error	26%
Average weekly wage	$8752020	$1,0992025	+26%	Improved	70%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.5%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Improved	67%
Broadband subscriptions	82.7%2015-2019	85.4%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Improved	1%
Child poverty rate	21.3%2015-2019	16.3%2020-2024	−5 points	Improved	77%
Distance to an airport	39 mi2020	39 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	34.8 /100k2020	25.8 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−26%	Improved	52%
Effective property tax rate	0.43%2015-2019	0.36%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	30%
Firearm deaths	32.7 /100k2020	29.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−8.9%	Improved	64%
Grocery stores	0.8 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−2.3%	Little change	41%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.4 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	+144%	Improved	98%
High school diploma or higher	90.1%2015-2019	90.8%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	5.2×2020-2024	+1.6×	Declined	2%
Homicide rate	7.9 /100k2020	6.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−13%	Improved	34%
Income adjusted for local prices	$35,6232019	$47,0932024	+32%	Improved	55%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4362015-2019	0.4732020-2024	+0.037	Within the margin of error	4%
Median household income	$49,4092015-2019	$62,6642020-2024	+27%	Improved	49%
New business applications	8.0 /1k2020	13.8 /1k2025	+72%	Improved	81%
Pharmacies	0.6 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	+30%	Improved	97%
Poverty rate	14.5%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Property crime rate	2,341 /100k2020	1,551 /100k2025	−34%	Improved	51%
Public libraries	0.8 /10k2019	0.8 /10k2024	−4%	Little change	29%
Rent as share of income	29.5%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Rent-burdened households	48.6%2015-2019	45.1%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Restaurants and bars	8.4 /10k2020	8.2 /10k2025	−2.3%	Little change	34%
Suicide rate	43.0 /100k2020	47.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+11%	Declined	36%
Traffic deaths	16.9 /100k2015-2019	14.9 /100k2020-2024	−12%	Improved	79%
Unemployment rate	7.0%2020	5.3%2025	−1.7 points	Improved	15%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.2%2015-2019	8.6%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Violent crime rate	392 /100k2020	374 /100k2025	−4.5%	Little change	32%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Cañon City, CO micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cañon City, CO micropolitan area 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, Cañon City, CO micropolitan area itself moved −0.8 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

49,634 residents

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

17,976 households (±411)

Cañon City, CO micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k20%3,530
$25k–50k21%3,795
$50k–75k17%2,975

Homes

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

Owners and renters

17,976 households (±411)

Cañon City, CO micropolitan area
United States share

Own76%13,595
Rent24%4,381

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

17,739 workers (±788)

Cañon City, CO micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone71%12,664
Carpool9.3%1,645
Public transit0.0%†6

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 no occupation wages for Cañon City, CO micropolitan area.

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.

Cañon City, CO has 938 employer establishments, 186 for every 10,000 residents (0.75× the US rate of 248), with 8,603 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,161. The Census Bureau also counts 3,511 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 938; 3,511 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 186; US 248
Paid employees: 8,603
Average annual pay: $42,161; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cañon City, CO by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	105	20.9	1.35×More than typical	497	$50,565	329
Ambulatory health care services	74	14.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	753	$60,603	173
Restaurants and other eating places	70	13.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,133	$21,872	19
Lessors of real estate	56	11.1	0.90×About typical	163	$32,908	358
Building equipment contractors	46	9.1	1.52×More than typical	228	$45,917	40
Religious organizations	38	7.6	1.36×More than typical	175	$22,840	—
Full-service restaurants	36	7.2	0.93×About typical	537	$25,974	—
Construction of buildings	32	6.4	0.84×About typical	64	$47,313	178
Offices of other health practitioners	29	5.8	0.95×About typical	381	$61,126	90
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	29	5.8	1.75×More than typical	159	$47,006	18
Other specialty trade contractors	27	5.4	2.14×More than typical	150	$56,140	126
Real estate agents and brokers	27	5.4	1.10×About typical	55	$37,582	109

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 50,315 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $23.9M on contracts performed in Cañon City, CO micropolitan area: $478 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $23.9M; +92% vs FY2025
Per resident: $478; US $1,994
Sole-source: 56%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.1%; 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 Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$22.8M95%
Bureau of Land Management$1.1M4.7%
Social Security Administration$20.3K0.1%
Forest Service$10.5K0.0%

Top recipients

AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL HEALTHCARE, INC.$7.2M30%
BERING STRAITS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LLC$7.1M30%
FRONT RANGE CONSTRUCTION INC$3.4M14%
CITY OF FLORENCE$1.8M7.4%
FLORENCE OILWELL SERVICES LLC$790K3.3%

Spending by fiscal year

11.3MFY2017
14MFY2018
8.4MFY2019
12.8MFY2020
8.1MFY2021
7MFY2022
11.4MFY2023
24.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$7.4M31%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$7.1M30%
Utility system construction · 2371$3.3M14%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$2.3M9.8%
Employment services · 5613$964.6K4.0%
Support activities for mining · 2131$790K

Largest awards

FCC FLORENCE FCI AND FPC REPLACE MDP 26Z4AH4 EO 14398$7.1M
BERING STRAITS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LLC· Fremont County, CO· Construction & real property· Sep 2, 2026 – Sep 2, 2026· 15BBNF26C40600001
FY26 B2 ACH COMP MED SVCS MAY 26$1.4M
AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL HEALTHCARE, INC.· Fremont County, CO· Health & medical· Apr 28, 2026 – Aug 17, 2026· 15B40626F00000145
BLM-CO RGFO PARK CENTER WELL VALVE REPLACEMENT$790K
FLORENCE OILWELL SERVICES LLC· Fremont County, CO· Construction & real property· Sep 25, 2026 – Sep 25, 2026· 140L1726C0001
FY25 B2 ACH OUT/RHEUM/RTNA/URLGY MAY 25

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $353.6M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cañon City, CO micropolitan area: $7,066 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $353.6M; −3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,066; US $12,955
Loan face value: $22.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$224.2M63%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$48.9M14%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$26.7M7.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$19.4M5.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$8M2.3%
64.015 · Veterans State Nursing Home Care$6.5M1.8%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$3.4M1.0%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$2.9M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES COLORADO$6.5M1.8%
DENVER, CO
COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$5.6M1.6%
DENVER, CO
UPPER ARKANSAS AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS, INC.$1.6M0.4%
CANON CITY, CO
DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES$1M0.3%
CANON CITY, CO
COLORADO ODD FELLOWS THREE LINKS CORPORATION

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$278.3M79%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$55M16%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Under Secretary for Health/Veterans Health Administration$6.9M1.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$5.6M1.6%
Department of Transportation
Administration for Children and Families$2.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

292.5MFY2021
302.6MFY2022
324.3MFY2023
354.1MFY2024
364.6MFY2025
353.6MFY2026

County aggregates

95%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Cañon City, CO

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Fremont CountyCentral county3750,039

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Cañon CityPrincipal city17,122

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Colorado

Areas based in Colorado, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M15860

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined2

Metro and micro areas like Cañon City, CO micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Cañon City, CO

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Colorado

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined2

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought