Fort Collins, Colorado
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Fort Collins.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Fort Collins compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 169,705City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $83,598Incorporated place (ACS)6% above U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 152ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)52% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $548,400City limits (ACS)81% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,661City limits (ACS)23% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.4%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 20 min20% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3718% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 217.1annualized per 100k · citywide64% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2172.8annualized per 100k · citywide30% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 84°F3.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 14°F20.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 13.4 in59% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 276Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Fort Collins with another city
Fort Collins (pop. 169,705) sits in Colorado. Households here report a median income near $83,598; our housing-derived cost index is about 152 (well above the national housing-cost baseline). Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $548,400 push many newcomers toward renting first.
High plains sun and Front Range mountain access pull outdoor-oriented movers. Winter lows around 14°F mean heating costs and snow logistics belong on the checklist. Commutes average near 20 minutes one-way, with walkability near 37/100. BLS LAUS puts recent unemployment around 3.4% for the surrounding county. Violent-offense rates around 217.1 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Fort Collins is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Fort Collins with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Fort Collins city, 1600000US0827425)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN080690000000003 (Larimer County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00094074 NUNN 7 NNE)
Last updated 2026-07-28