Colorado
D+11 · Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
4.4%
Income Tax
453
Violent Crime / 100K
78.8
Life Expectancy
$545K
Median Home
$1,600
Childcare / Mo
State Profile
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Get notified when Colorado tax laws, gun laws, or social policy changes.
Taxes
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Income Tax
Property Tax
~$2,616/yr on median home
Sales Tax
Social Security
Pension / IRA
SS taxed but up to $24K pension deduction
Estate Tax
Inheritance Tax
Capital Gains
Housing & Cost of Living
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Cost of Living Index
National avg = 100
Median Home Price
Median Rent (2BR)
Home Insurance
Near national avg (~$1,900/yr)
Flood Insurance
Homestead Exemption
Home equity protected from creditors
Asset Protection
Crime & Safety
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Violent Crime Rate
Near national avg
Property Crime Rate
Above national avg
Traffic Fatality Rate
Healthcare
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State Healthcare Rank
Top tier
Life Expectancy
Medicaid Expansion
Uninsured Rate
Education
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K-12 Quality Rank
Top 10 nationally
School Choice / Vouchers
Childcare
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Avg Infant Care (Full-Time)
Utilities & Daily Costs
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Avg Monthly Energy Bill
Avg Monthly Groceries
2-person household, moderate spending
Road Quality Rank
Airports & Travel
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Nonstop Destinations
From state's primary airport
Major Hub Airport
Top-25 US airport by passengers
Culture & Lifestyle
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Urban Population
Highly urban — big city feel
Restaurant Density
Religious Congregations
Pro Sports Teams
NFL + NBA + MLB + NHL + MLS
Major Venues
Stadiums, arenas, amphitheaters (10K+ capacity)
Craft Breweries
8/100K residents — Top tier
Craft Distilleries
Strong spirits scene
Live Music
Denver + Boulder craft scene; Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a bucket-list venue; Underground Music Showcase
Transportation
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Car Insurance (Avg Annual)
Traffic Fatality Rate
Broadband Access
Social & Legal
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Abortion Access
No gestational limit; state constitutional right
LGBTQ+ Protections
Marijuana
Minimum Wage
Right to Work
Sports Betting
Casino Gambling
Online Gambling
State Lottery
Commercial casinos limited to Central City, Black Hawk, Cripple Creek. Sports betting launched 2020.
Age of Consent
Sex Education
No state sex ed mandate
Medically Accurate Required
Nude Beaches & Naturist Clubs
Avalon Resort (Loveland) · Valley View Hot Springs (Villa Grove) · Rocky Mountain Naturists
Environment & Climate
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Air Quality (Annual AQI)
Near national avg
Natural Disaster Risk
Primary Hazards
Politics & Gun Laws
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2024 Presidential Vote
Gun Laws
Carry Permit
Purchase Permit Required
Gambling
Hunting & Outdoors
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Colorado's over-the-counter archery elk hunting is world-class. The state has the largest elk herd in North America.
Colorado Parks & Wildlife — Official Season Dates ↗Finding nearby venues...
From r/hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to ...
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Hunting in Florida
Find the open/closed status of FWC managed areas, offices, and facilities at MyFWC.com/Notices. 1; 2; 3; 4. Quota Hunt Dashboards. Plan your...
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Hunting in California - California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depen...
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The Hunting Public
The Hunting Public is an online video series that focuses on relating to all groups of hunters. By hunting in a variety of different situati...
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Why we recommend them
If you're hunting elk in Wyoming, whitetail in Kansas, or black bear in West Virginia — Ravin builds the most accurate crossbows on the planet. Rifle-like precision at 500 FPS. We're proud to partner with them.
Jobs & Economy
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Job Market
+2.2% job growth · 3.5% unemployment
Top Industries
Tech Jobs
Top tech job market nationally
Healthcare Jobs
Remote Work
High remote work culture
Median Household Income
Business Climate
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Corporate Income Tax
LLC Formation Fee
LLC Annual Fee
Business Climate Rank
Daily Life
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Gas Price (Regular)
Below avg (-0.15 vs national avg)
Consumer Fireworks
Ground-based only in many areas; fire bans can prohibit all fireworks
Weather & Natural Risks
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Winter Severity
Avg January high: 44°F
Summer Heat
Moderate summers
Annual Rainfall
Tornado Risk
Hurricane Risk
Wildfire Risk
Flood Risk
Natural Hazards
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Venomous Snakes
Spider Hazard
Scorpions
Hurricane Risk
Tornado Risk
Wildfire Risk
Earthquake Risk
Danger score is a composite index. Methodology ↗
Veteran Benefits
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Veteran-Friendly Score
8.2% of state population are veterans
Property Tax Exemption
50% exemption for 100% disabled vets
Military Retirement Pay
Active Duty Pay
VA Facilities Access
Notable Benefits
Explore Colorado counties
Income, housing, poverty, healthcare — ranked by county
See your full cost of living in Colorado
Housing, taxes, childcare, insurance — all estimated.
Compare Similar States
CO vs OR
Colorado vs Oregon
COL 110 vs 110 · 4.4% vs 9.9% income tax
Full comparison →
CO vs VT
Colorado vs Vermont
COL 110 vs 111 · 4.4% vs 8.75% income tax
Full comparison →
CO vs ME
Colorado vs Maine
COL 110 vs 107 · 4.4% vs 7.15% income tax
Full comparison →
CO vs CT
Colorado vs Connecticut
COL 110 vs 114 · 4.4% vs 6.99% income tax
Full comparison →
Trending in Colorado
Victor Marks maintains small lead over Barbara Kirkmeyer in Colorado GOP governor primary - Colorado Newsline
Colorado Newsline · Jul 6
Colorado's Republican primary for governor may not be decided until Thursday at the earliest - CBS News
CBS News · Jul 7
Colorado Governor Primary Election Results - The New York Times
The New York Times · Jul 7
Governor Newsom announces deployment of California firefighters and equipment to Colorado, as sister state battles wildfires - California State Portal | CA.gov
California State Portal | CA.gov · Jul 4
A few thoughts on returning home | Hal Bidlack - Colorado Politics
Colorado Politics · Jul 7
What Residents Say
Is cost of living really as bad as I'm seeing people say?
~$80k post tax = call it $6,500/month $3k for childcare $2k for mortgage $1500 for everything else? $750 for food $100 for gas $100 for cell -$ ......
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Is the cost of living really that bad in the Denver area?
I keep hearing this from some people, that you shouldn’t move to Denver if you’re not ready for a huge COL increase. But from everything I’ve ......
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If you were resolved to move to a state with a lower cost of ...
No state income tax or sales tax. However, it does have fairly high property tax, so you don't want to have too much house/land....
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Cost of Living Question : r/ColoradoSprings
The average single family house price in Colorado Springs is just under $500,000, Denver is closer to $600,000. In OKC it's $203,000. Food here ......
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Nearly 90 Percent of Coloradans Consider Cost of Living a ...
Six figures is a big range. Someone freshly making $100k/year without a large windfall for a down payment would have a frustrating time buying ......
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would you recommend moving back here?
Moved from the west coast and yes, property taxes are high, but IMO the cost of living all around is less. Housing and gas are cheaper than I'm ......
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Stay in Charlotte for $105k or move to Denver for $140k ...
Currently making $106k in Charlotte with really great benefits (including 30 day paid vacation) and yearly bonus of 10 to $15k a year (pretax) working ......
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Is it worth moving from beautiful Colorado to Portland?
The income tax is effectively flat at around 4 and a half percent in CO, while hitting 10% at moderate incomes in OR (and then scaling higher ......
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Since everyone asked how much it cost to live comfortably ...
I'd say $200k is bare minimum for a family in Colorado (unless you live in Pueblo in which case you have bigger problems). $250k you can start ......
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It's not cheap to live in Colorado. We studied just how much ...
But even so, in Colorado taxes cannot rise without a vote of the people. So supporting housing doesn't increase costs to other people. But ......
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Stay Current
Get notified when Colorado tax laws, gun laws, or social policy changes.
Colorado Guides
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Data is informational only. Verify with a tax professional, real estate agent, and local sources before making relocation decisions. Crime data: FBI UCR ~2022. Healthcare: Commonwealth Fund / US News ~2023. Education: Education Week ~2023. Housing: Zillow / Census ACS ~2024. Insurance: rate surveys ~2024. Sponsored links marked “Sponsored” may earn a commission. This does not affect our data or rankings.