Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs sits in a state with a flat 4.40% individual income tax, and the city’s own economic snapshot lists average annual precipitation of 13.49 inches, 300 days of sunshine, and a 2024 population estimate of 502,306 (City of Colorado Springs budget snapshot^[1]). For housing and tax planning, Colorado Springs is in Colorado, so local buyers also need to factor the city’s high-elevation mountain market rather than a low-cost Sun Belt profile. The BLS page for Colorado notes that Colorado Springs has its own metro-area economic summary and wages release, which is the correct geography for CPI and wage context rather than a city-only series (BLS Colorado page^[2]).

Colorado Springs residents have multiple hospital choices in town, including the region’s major systems, but the city still sends some highly specialized care up the Front Range when needed. The city’s scale and county base support a broad provider market, and the local health profile is tied to El Paso County rather than a small-town network (El Paso County overview^[3]). Official county material confirms the county and city geography, but a current official hospital drive-time source is not given here.

Colorado Springs’ NOAA/NWS normals show an annual precipitation total of 15.91 inches, with July average highs of 86.5°F and December average lows of 18.5°F, which matches a cool, dry, high-plains mountain climate (NWS Colorado Springs normals^[4]). The city snapshot also reports about 300 days of sunshine per year, reinforcing that outdoor activity is available for much of the calendar (City snapshot^[1]). In practical retirement terms, the best full-season outdoor window is usually late spring through early fall, with the altitude making summer pleasant but winters and freeze-thaw cycles more noticeable than in lower-elevation markets (NWS Colorado Springs normals^[4]).

The FBI-linked county summary shows El Paso County at 54.0 violent crimes per 100,000 residents and 108.3 property crimes per 100,000, both below the national averages shown on that page (El Paso County crime summary^[5]). The same summary says the county has 9 reporting law-enforcement agencies and that the rate trend over the most recent five-year period is lower than the national benchmark for both violent and property crime (El Paso County crime summary^[5]). Because agency participation in UCR/NIBRS is incomplete after 2021, the county figure is used rather than a fully comparable city series (Colorado crime stats methodology^[6]).

The Colorado Springs metro FHFA House Price Index was up just 0.12% year over year in 2026Q2, which suggests only modest metro-level price appreciation recently (FHFA HPI^[7]). At the city level, Realtor.com reported a median listing price of $464,900 in September 2026, down 1.11% year over year, with median days on market at 57 days (Realtor.com^[8]). Zillow’s September 2026 figures were similar on price direction, showing a median list price of $458,333 and median days to pending of 35, while also flagging a 1.5% year-over-year drop in home values (Zillow^[9]). Colorado Springs also has active-adult options, including 55+ communities such as The Retreat at Banning Lewis Ranch and Briargate Village Cooperative (The Retreat^[10], Village Cooperative of Briargate^[11]).

Colorado Springs Airport, COS, is the city’s commercial airport and is identified in the city and golf-travel sources as the main local airport (City/golf travel guide^[12]). The airport is a real local convenience for retirees because it avoids the longer drive to Denver for many trips, though the full nonstop network is naturally smaller than DEN’s. The airport exists and serves the city, but a current FAA or BTS route table is not given here.

Colorado Springs has a unusually strong golf stack for retirees, ranging from public city golf to resort and private options. The city golf division says Patty Jewett and Valley Hi are public city courses, while Garden of the Gods Resort posts resort green fees of $200 for 18 holes in peak season and $92 in winter (City golf division^[13], Garden of the Gods Resort golf rates^[14]). For recreation beyond golf, the same resort and tourism pages emphasize easy access to Garden of the Gods trails and broad outdoor activity in the Pikes Peak area (Garden of the Gods Resort^[15], Visit COS golf page^[12]).

Colorado Springs’ city snapshot lists a 2024 population estimate of 502,306, which places it firmly in the large-city category while still keeping a manageable suburban feel in much of the metro (City snapshot^[1]). A Census-profiled Colorado Springs census tract area shows a median age of 35.7, which signals a comparatively younger population mix than classic retirement magnets (Data Commons Colorado Springs CCD^[16]). The city also markets itself with major downtown and district amenities rather than a single compact walkable core, so retirees generally trade some walkability for scale and lifestyle variety (City snapshot^[1]).

FEMA’s Colorado community-status material confirms that Colorado Springs is in El Paso County, which is the correct level for National Risk Index style county hazard work (FEMA Colorado community status book^[17]). Colorado Springs’ climate is dry and high-elevation, and the city snapshot reports 300 sunny days but only 13.49 inches of annual precipitation, which aligns with elevated wildfire concern in the surrounding Front Range environment (City snapshot^[1]). A current EPA AQI annual-good-days page for the city is not given here; wildfire smoke can degrade seasonal air quality on the Front Range, especially in late summer (City snapshot^[1]).