Why look at Aspen?
- High-cost housing. Median home is $3.3M — expensive market.
- Rising market. Home values up +6.6% year-over-year — momentum is positive.
- Shrinking population. ~-1.6%/yr — be aware of demand softness.
Where Aspen stands
At or near all-time high. home values up 6.6% in the last year. averaging 8.1% annual growth over 5 years. population shrinking 1.6% per year. rents up 30.9% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 15.5 price-to-rent ratio, Aspen is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Pitkin County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Pitkin County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Run the numbers for Aspen
Colorado context
Schools
Aspen is served by 4 public schools enrolling about 1,517 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 13.0:1 — smaller classes than the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.
Ratings, districts & boundaries:
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Aspen listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Glenwood Springs area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Find more cities like Aspen
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Aspen’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Aspen →Cities similar to Aspen
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Colorado: 492 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.
Jobs & hiring
In Aspen, unemployment is very low at 2.4%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are hospitality & tourism, tech and healthcare.
Search current openings: