The 10 Worst Small Towns In Colorado For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the worst small towns in Colorado.

By: Nick Johnson | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 14, 2023

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:

These are the worst small towns in Colorado for 2023:

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

So what is the worst small town to call home in Colorado for 2023? 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.

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

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Colorado For 2023

1. Ellicott

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,282
Median Home Value: $9,999 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (60th worst)

2. Towaoc

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,284
Median Home Value: $163,400 (19th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1% (75th worst)

3. Pagosa Springs

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,548
Median Home Value: $257,800 (39th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (22nd worst)

4. Las Animas

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,564
Median Home Value: $58,800 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.2% (9th worst)

5. Olathe

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,874
Median Home Value: $176,700 (25th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.2% (27th worst)

6. Monte Vista

Monte Vista, CO

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

3
/10

Population: 4,228
Median Home Value: $138,300 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.6% (11th worst)

7. Rocky Ford

Rocky Ford, CO

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

5
/10

Population: 3,876
Median Home Value: $81,900 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.4% (13th worst)

8. Center

Center, CO

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,377
Median Home Value: $89,400 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.1% (10th worst)

9. Walsenburg

Walsenburg, CO

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

5
/10

Population: 3,034
Median Home Value: $105,600 (8th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.5% (12th worst)

10. Aetna Estates

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,255
Median Home Value: $49,700 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.4% (2nd worst)

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 2017-2021 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 2023, 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.

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

  1. Castle Pines Village (Pop. 4,356)
  2. Basalt (Pop. 3,802)
  3. Columbine Valley (Pop. 1,701)

For more Colorado reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Colorado

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Ellicott 1,282 3.4% $9,999
2 Towaoc 1,284 2.1% $163,400
3 Pagosa Springs 1,548 7.9% $257,800
4 Las Animas 2,564 11.2% $58,800
5 Olathe 1,874 7.2% $176,700
6 Monte Vista 4,228 10.6% $138,300
7 Rocky Ford 3,876 10.4% $81,900
8 Center 2,377 11.1% $89,400
9 Walsenburg 3,034 10.5% $105,600
10 Aetna Estates 1,255 18.4% $49,700
11 Yuma 3,451 9.4% $170,600
12 Parachute 1,607 14.8% $207,900
13 Ordway 2,066 11.9% $69,600
14 Julesburg 1,226 6.7% $107,000
15 Wray 2,338 6.0% $164,500
16 Hudson 2,172 3.8% $266,100
17 Cedaredge 2,584 14.8% $212,800
18 Del Norte 1,667 8.3% $133,300
19 Fraser 1,334 9.7% $468,600
20 Springfield 1,318 2.9% $106,600
21 Aristocrat Ranchettes 1,830 5.8% $307,800
22 Alamosa East 1,384 0.0% $141,600
23 Buena Vista 2,859 12.3% $335,900
24 Sanford 1,359 6.9% $120,900
25 Ignacio 1,319 8.2% $197,700
26 Georg 1,098 8.9% $312,300
27 Kremmling 1,697 3.1% $258,600
28 Platteville 2,879 9.8% $295,900
29 Meeker 2,482 2.7% $191,400
30 Palisade 2,575 4.0% $225,500
31 Holyoke 2,416 0.0% $208,900
32 Colorado City 2,315 6.4% $160,500
33 Wiggins 1,137 7.9% $263,300
34 Mountain Village 1,577 5.0% $942,100
35 Hotchkiss 1,273 1.1% $167,100
36 Rangely 2,381 7.0% $169,400
37 Gilcrest 1,171 0.0% $227,800
38 Orchard City 3,144 5.4% $272,000
39 Paonia 1,542 4.3% $217,400
40 Akron 1,793 2.4% $144,600
41 Kersey 1,533 6.9% $264,700
42 Ridgway 1,033 7.7% $470,200
43 Cascade-Chipita Park 1,256 14.4% $393,300
44 Fowler 1,157 3.0% $100,800
45 Laporte 2,201 1.9% $329,200
46 Florence 3,857 2.0% $167,600
47 Limon 1,167 2.5% $137,800
48 Byers 1,433 20.8% $331,200
49 Idaho Springs 2,044 6.2% $401,200
50 Strasburg 3,369 5.7% $354,300
51 Bennett 2,964 3.8% $315,200
52 Silt 3,485 3.8% $333,400
53 Penrose 3,305 6.4% $231,900
54 Lincoln Park 3,724 5.1% $226,800
55 Burlington 3,212 3.1% $146,400
56 Pierce 1,019 4.5% $256,600
57 Poncha Springs 1,098 0.0% $383,000
58 El Jebel 4,593 3.3% $621,400
59 Ault 1,785 2.1% $260,200
60 Keenesburg 1,546 4.2% $321,300
61 Glendale 4,605 2.6% $263,600
62 Loma 1,471 1.2% $457,500
63 Manitou Springs 4,912 12.5% $449,200
64 Granby 2,229 0.2% $262,800
65 Mancos 1,168 2.8% $239,300
66 Leadville 2,623 6.5% $244,700
67 Bayfield 2,821 4.3% $336,000
68 Palmer Lake 2,652 7.2% $352,500
69 Minturn 1,084 4.6% $775,900
70 Ouray 1,009 3.9% $500,000
71 Dillon 1,147 5.6% $690,100
72 La Salle 2,934 1.4% $286,500
73 New Castle 4,883 2.4% $389,000
74 Mead 4,716 0.9% $407,400
75 Silverthorne 4,520 6.7% $573,300
76 Vail 4,900 7.8% $729,000
77 Coal Creek 2,581 3.5% $450,200
78 Meridian 4,954 8.0% $481,200
79 Elizabeth 1,792 2.8% $349,000
80 Hayden 2,116 0.7% $308,400
81 Crested Butte 1,419 5.6% $720,600
82 Leadville North 1,948 0.7% $314,400
83 Inverness 2,342 4.7% $670,100
84 Ponderosa Park 3,400 0.6% $538,000
85 Nederland 1,392 2.5% $510,200
86 Frisco 2,952 1.2% $677,000
87 Kittredge 1,023 1.5% $606,100
88 Telluride 2,593 4.6% $443,500
89 Niwot 4,216 6.5% $712,000
90 Genesee 4,241 3.3% $823,900
91 Lyons 2,261 3.9% $637,000
92 Snowmass Village 3,089 0.0% $1,000
93 Perry Park 1,854 0.4% $613,600
94 Acres Green 2,732 1.1% $407,200
95 Indian Hills 1,545 0.0% $583,200
96 Holly Hills 2,843 1.2% $533,000
97 Castle Pines Village 4,356 7.3% $985,700
98 Basalt 3,802 2.1% $873,400
99 Columbine Valley 1,701 1.1% $1,058,600
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

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