The 10 Worst Small Towns In Colorado For 2024

Most Americans have never been to small town Colorado. However, as the Coloradan who live there know, small town Colorado is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Colorado has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Centennial State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 99 of Colorado’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Colorado where you’d never want to live:

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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These are the worst small towns in Colorado for 2024:

1. Ellicott
2. Yuma
3. Towaoc
4. Center
5. Las Animas
6. Walsenburg
7. Rocky Ford
8. Monte Vista
9. Parachute
10. Pagosa Springs

So what is the worst small town to call home in Colorado for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Ellicott is the worst small town to live in Colorado.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Ellicott home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Colorado or the worst places to live in Colorado.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Colorado For 2024

1. Ellicott

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,247
Median Home Value: $0
Median Income: $44,219
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%

2. Yuma

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,443
Median Home Value: $245,330
Median Income: $46,314
Unemployment Rate: 9.3%

3. Towaoc

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,186
Median Home Value: $0
Median Income: $46,466
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

4. Center

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,349
Median Home Value: $154,906
Median Income: $50,203
Unemployment Rate: 10.7%

5. Las Animas

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,421
Median Home Value: $90,001
Median Income: $45,355
Unemployment Rate: 10.3%

6. Walsenburg

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,072
Median Home Value: $188,250
Median Income: $37,725
Unemployment Rate: 8.9%

7. Rocky Ford

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,850
Median Home Value: $137,715
Median Income: $31,418
Unemployment Rate: 10.9%

8. Monte Vista

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 4,201
Median Home Value: $238,568
Median Income: $51,071
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%

9. Parachute

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,555
Median Home Value: $373,959
Median Income: $55,089
Unemployment Rate: 19.3%

10. Pagosa Springs

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,643
Median Home Value: $538,947
Median Income: $32,500
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%

Next 10 Towns

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Colorado is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Colorado, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

• Population Density (The lower, the worse)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Education (Number of high school dropouts)
• High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 99 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Colorado.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Colorado

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Centennial State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Colorado are Ellicott, Yuma, Towaoc, Center, Las Animas, Walsenburg, Rocky Ford, Monte Vista, Parachute, and Pagosa Springs.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Colorado, according to science:

1. Aspen Park (Pop. 1,006)
2. Castle Pines Village (Pop. 4,462)
3. Columbine Valley (Pop. 1,928)

For more Colorado reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Colorado

Rank	Town	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value	Median Income
1	Ellicott	1,247	1.3%	$0	$44,219
2	Yuma	3,443	9.3%	$245,330	$46,314
3	Towaoc	1,186	0.0%	$0	$46,466
4	Center	2,349	10.7%	$154,906	$50,203
5	Las Animas	2,421	10.3%	$90,001	$45,355
6	Walsenburg	3,072	8.9%	$188,250	$37,725
7	Rocky Ford	3,850	10.9%	$137,715	$31,418
8	Monte Vista	4,201	8.3%	$238,568	$51,071
9	Parachute	1,555	19.3%	$373,959	$55,089
10	Pagosa Springs	1,643	3.7%	$538,947	$32,500
11	Olathe	1,901	4.6%	$379,737	$60,966
12	Ordway	1,874	16.3%	$142,256	$45,938
13	Wray	2,461	5.7%	$255,717	$67,596
14	Cripple Creek	1,093	8.4%	$315,815	$36,783
15	Cedaredge	2,572	12.8%	$395,364	$40,395
16	Del Norte	1,808	7.7%	$267,579	$40,756
17	Julesburg	1,187	4.2%	$154,239	$37,232
18	Springfield	1,357	2.3%	$138,520	$36,354
19	Sanford	1,306	6.9%	$201,388	$50,461
20	Aristocrat Ranchettes	1,987	5.7%	$401,299	$83,500
21	Fraser	1,220	10.1%	$763,715	$75,893
22	Hudson	2,167	2.9%	$672,979	$73,542
23	Georg	1,104	8.8%	$487,105	$56,458
24	Paonia	1,571	6.2%	$416,794	$54,643
25	Orchard City	3,150	4.8%	$362,952	$69,556
26	Aetna Estates	1,194	9.9%	$60,246	$60,857
27	Fowler	1,115	5.2%	$182,643	$38,162
28	Buena Vista	2,887	16.8%	$622,708	$58,168
29	Kersey	1,453	7.3%	$478,601	$61,111
30	Ignacio	1,257	7.7%	$425,745	$62,833
31	Platteville	2,917	8.7%	$491,083	$76,406
32	Mountain Village	1,582	5.5%	$2,087,454	$56,917
33	Rangely	2,382	6.5%	$207,492	$70,363
34	Gilcrest	1,082	0.0%	$304,882	$64,583
35	Laporte	2,233	3.4%	$526,014	$69,732
36	Holyoke	2,430	0.0%	$250,131	$51,435
37	Hotchkiss	1,083	2.9%	$435,431	$53,214
38	Wiggins	1,138	7.3%	$421,876	$77,083
39	Florence	3,874	1.6%	$270,598	$58,167
40	Strasburg	3,149	6.1%	$542,005	$88,482
41	Penrose	3,900	8.5%	$369,171	$77,286
42	Akron	1,675	2.1%	$235,055	$52,813
43	Kremmling	1,779	2.4%	$499,913	$64,141
44	Cascade-Chipita Park	1,302	18.2%	$529,437	$78,542
45	Dotsero	1,189	6.7%	$452,760	$79,957
46	Alamosa East	1,319	0.0%	$296,667	$1,000
47	Limon	1,479	1.9%	$255,196	$49,034
48	Pierce	1,018	10.9%	$448,224	$71,071
49	Lincoln Park	4,413	5.9%	$301,117	$79,408
50	Burlington	3,184	2.6%	$238,048	$61,528
51	Bennett	3,299	2.3%	$427,950	$82,035
52	Palisade	2,571	4.6%	$507,678	$56,359
53	Ridgway	1,093	10.1%	$870,001	$82,903
54	Idaho Springs	2,113	6.8%	$500,049	$72,101
55	Keenesburg	1,669	6.4%	$468,197	$86,827
56	Meeker	2,500	0.7%	$338,091	$69,295
57	Byers	1,635	17.5%	$541,641	$93,750
58	Colorado City	1,932	0.0%	$316,679	$55,759
59	Glendale	4,580	2.6%	$366,045	$63,143
60	Silverthorne	4,550	6.3%	$853,918	$97,558
61	Silt	3,529	1.7%	$558,268	$72,450
62	Ault	1,601	1.6%	$425,248	$76,215
63	Loma	1,481	1.5%	$593,703	$137,995
64	Ouray	1,007	4.5%	$694,456	$68,750
65	El Jebel	4,328	0.0%	$884,753	$120,278
66	Hayden	2,057	1.4%	$482,471	$74,028
67	Manitou Springs	4,848	11.8%	$538,984	$72,775
68	New Castle	4,874	2.7%	$572,983	$82,473
69	Bayfield	2,853	5.9%	$472,286	$84,609
70	Leadville North	2,003	3.2%	$431,537	$79,942
71	Mancos	1,121	1.5%	$450,145	$63,185
72	La Salle	2,874	1.6%	$421,834	$91,080
73	Kittredge	1,021	4.8%	$491,126	$143,147
74	Lazy Acres	1,014	3.8%	$1,001,024	$150,927
75	Granby	2,074	0.2%	$757,853	$77,679
76	Vail	4,833	7.6%	$1,659,103	$96,667
77	Crested Butte	1,434	6.1%	$1,412,975	$67,625
78	Palmer Lake	2,642	7.0%	$508,099	$104,712
79	Elizabeth	1,830	3.0%	$673,288	$99,889
80	Leadville	2,622	2.3%	$463,116	$80,100
81	Coal Creek	2,431	2.1%	$605,197	$129,091
82	Ponderosa Park	3,577	0.7%	$715,310	$127,901
83	Inverness	2,772	3.3%	$773,731	$109,339
84	Frisco	2,900	1.5%	$932,987	$101,140
85	Niwot	4,091	7.4%	$1,041,176	$135,758
86	Blue River	1,238	0.8%	$1,248,399	$150,074
87	Nederland	1,413	2.5%	$625,998	$115,120
88	Genesee	4,046	2.3%	$1,086,636	$174,375
89	Holly Hills	2,801	1.3%	$697,625	$129,700
90	Basalt	3,815	3.2%	$1,274,527	$103,049
91	Telluride	2,622	2.8%	$1,917,901	$81,429
92	Indian Hills	1,445	0.0%	$635,756	$166,429
93	Lyons	1,936	3.4%	$739,742	$131,179
94	Snowmass Village	3,076	0.0%	$1,741,212	$94,761
95	Perry Park	1,712	0.0%	$828,957	$147,548
96	Acres Green	2,627	1.1%	$592,943	$124,219
97	Aspen Park	1,006	0.0%	$690,892	$111,964
98	Castle Pines Village	4,462	5.7%	$1,380,987	$250,001
99	Columbine Valley	1,928	0.5%	$1,599,009	$250,001