Chaffee County, Colorado
Population 20,178 · Salida, Buena Vista, Poncha Springs
- Overall cost of living: −2.5% vs the US average, higher than 85% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 0, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−2.5% | higher than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Colorado outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $665,700 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,611 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $112/mo | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $19,347/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.29% | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 2.9% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,901 | higher than 61% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $84,132 | higher than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +4.9% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 366.5 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈253 days | higher than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 11°F | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈49 in | higher than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Buena Vista 2S, CO, 11 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈5 days | lower than 90% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Buena Vista 2S, CO, 11 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈208 days | higher than 98% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Buena Vista 2S, CO, 11 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 15.6% of weeks | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈34.9°F | lower than 99% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 10.2 in | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $239/yr | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $227/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $2.8/yr | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $1.4/yr | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $4/yr | higher than 75% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 4.5 µg/m³ | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 733.2 mi | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈6,344.1 ft | higher than 98% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 94.7% | higher than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 47% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 18.7% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.9:1 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 90.4% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | N/A | |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.92 | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 10.1 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 104/100k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 1★ | the lowest in the US |
| Life expectancy | 81.2 yrs | higher than 96% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.4% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 385/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 63/100k | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 99.9% | higher than 99% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 65 min | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 115 min | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 18 min | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 89.7% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 24.5% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 102 min | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 37 per sq mi | higher than 68% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.6 per 1k | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 3.5 per 1k | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Population | 20,178 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Median age | 48.7 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +13.6 per 1k/yr | higher than 87% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 55.4% Dem | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 41.9% Rep | lower than 91% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.7% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % White | 84.2% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 9.8% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.2% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3.6% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 426 parks | higher than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 36.2 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 17.8 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.2% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 13 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 4 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 796 km | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 4 km | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 28 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 17 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 31 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 112 km | higher than 86% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data