Living in Aspen, Colorado: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 2.5% below the U.S. average in the parts of Colorado outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Aspen to say.
A safer neighborhood6 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 24.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close byAspen Valley Hospital District is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityDenver is about 111 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Aspen meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 1 in 4 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

Worth a closer look

Aspen has lost about 7% of its people since 2020. A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then: Up 25%Pitkin County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $2,081 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $74,033U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 57%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,870 a yearColorado: $2,602
Homes built before 1940: 3%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 24%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 97.5U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Colorado outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 25% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Colorado outside metro areas, not Aspen alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 6,4892020: 6,979
Median age: 43.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 17%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 10%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 70%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 13%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (19%); schools, health care and social services (14%); retail (14%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 14 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 18%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 11%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Aspen Valley Hospital District, Aspen, CO, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Valley View Hospital Association, Glenwood Springs, CO, about 35 miles away. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

4 public schools in Aspen, run by Aspen School District No. 1 in the county of Pitkin and Sta.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Colorado's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 79%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 89%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 10°F
July average high: 76°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 0 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 210 a year
Rain and melted snow: 24.4 inches a year
Snow: 171 inches a year
Elevation: 7,926 feet

Weather station: Aspen 1SW (1 mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Grand Junction, COCity of 72,00093

Denver, COMetro of 3.1 million111

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Grand Junction, Denver.

Pitkin County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 7, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

31 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Holden Mining and Smelting Co. and Soldner Home and Studio.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Curecanti National Recreation Area48 miles
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park59 miles

Read about Aspen's history on Wikipedia.

Know Aspen?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Snowmass Village, CO3,000 people, 6 miles
Basalt, CO4,000 people, 16 miles
El Jebel, CO2,900 people, 20 miles
Crested Butte, CO1,700 people, 24 miles
Carbondale, CO6,800 people, 25 miles
Leadville, CO2,700 people, 29 miles

Smaller places

Woody Creek, CO (unincorporated)109 people, 6 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.