Financial profile

El Paso County, Colorado financial profile

The El Paso County, Colorado financial profile pulls six federal datasets into one page: what households earn, what housing costs, how prices have moved, how much natural hazard risk sits on a mortgage here, and how often lenders say no.

Median household income

$82,748

Census ACS 2022

Typical home value

$390,500

Census ACS

Median gross rent

$1,507/mo

Census ACS

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent

$1,735/mo

HUD 2026

Median property taxes

$1,629/yr

Census ACS

Unemployment rate

5.7%

Census ACS

Electricity price

15.8¢/kWh

EIA 2025, state average

Mortgage denial rate

14.4%

HMDA 2025

What happens when we cross the datasets

These readings are ours: each one combines two or more federal sources, so you get a number no single agency publishes for El Paso County.

Rent burden on a median income

25.2%

A two-bedroom at Fair Market Rent takes 25.2% of the median household income here, inside the 30% affordability line.

We use data from HUD Fair Market Rent and data from Census ACS median household income.

Home price to income ratio

4.7×

The typical home costs 4.7 times the median household income — above the 3–4× range lenders traditionally treat as comfortable.

We use data from Census ACS median home value and data from Census ACS median household income.

5-year home price momentum

39.0%

House prices in this county moved 39.0% over five years, which on today's median value is about $109,666 of the price.

We use data from FHFA House Price Index (5-year) and data from Census ACS median home value.

Natural hazard exposure

Relatively Moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates this county “Relatively Moderate” for overall natural hazard risk on its own national scale (composite risk score 94.1), and it has been inside 10 federal disaster declarations in the last 15 years, led by wildfire. That is what drives homeowners insurance pricing.

We use data from FEMA National Risk Index and data from FEMA disaster declarations (15 years).

Mortgage denial gap vs. the country

-3.3 pts

14.4% of mortgage applications here are denied, versus 17.7% nationally — 3.3 points easier than the national picture.

We use data from CFPB HMDA county aggregates and data from CFPB HMDA national aggregates.

Electricity burden on a median income

2.1%

At 15.8¢ per kilowatt-hour, a typical 900 kWh month costs about $143 — 2.1% of the median household income over a year.

We use data from EIA average retail electricity price and data from Census ACS median household income.

Grocery burden for a family of four

16.3%

Feeding two adults and two school-age children at USDA's low-cost plan runs about $1,125 a month (6/2026 prices) — 16.3% of the median household income here, before rent, energy or health cover.

We use data from USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home, June 2026 (June 2026) (household-adjusted) and data from Census ACS median household income.

Rent against the average Social Security cheque

88.2%

The average Social Security payment in this county is $1,968 a month (December 2025), and a two-bedroom at Fair Market Rent is $1,735 — 88.2% of that cheque, a calculation that touches 127,520 beneficiaries locally.

We use data from SSA OASDI beneficiaries by county and data from HUD Fair Market Rent.

Insurance burden on a median income

5.0%

NAIC puts the average Colorado car insurance premium at $1,655 a year and the average owner-occupied HO-3 homeowners premium at $2,492 (2023 data). Together that is 5.0% of the median household income in this county. Both figures are state averages — NAIC does not publish county premiums, so we never break them down further, and an average premium reflects each state's coverage limits, deductibles, risk and regulation rather than the price of cover alone.

We use data from NAIC auto and homeowners insurance reports (state) and data from Census ACS median household income.

Home insurance per $1,000 of home value

$6.38

The Colorado average HO-3 premium of $2,492 works out at $6.38 for every $1,000 of the $390,500 median home value in this county. High-hazard states such as Louisiana, Florida and Oklahoma sit far above the national picture on this measure.

We use data from NAIC homeowners report, HO-3 state average and data from Census ACS median home value.

Health insurance premiums

Data not available — Colorado runs its own health insurance marketplace, so its premiums are not in the federal CMS rate files.

Source: CMS Health Insurance Marketplace Public Use Files, plan year 2026.

Insurance, Medicare and local prices

Average car insurance

$1,655/yr

Colorado state average — NAIC 2023, not a county figure

Average home insurance (HO-3)

$2,492/yr

Owner-occupied HO-3 policy, Colorado state average — NAIC 2023

Dwelling fire policy (DP)

$964/yr

Non-owner-occupied and rental property — a different policy from HO-3. Colorado state average, NAIC 2023

Disaster history and insurance

El Paso County has been included in 10 federal disaster declarations over the last 15 years, most recently a flood declaration dated 2023-08-25. FEMA estimates expected annual losses of $212,634,040 across the county. Hazard history is one of the strongest drivers of homeowners insurance premiums, so quote your insurance before you close, not after.

Housing next steps in El Paso County

Shown because this profile holds housing costs for El Paso County. We never place an offer next to a number we do not have.

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