La Junta, CO — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Colorado·La Junta

Otero County · population 6,986

AffordabilityShrinkingSmall-town feel
View watchlist →
40
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where La Junta stands

Home values down 7.9% in the last year. population shrinking 1.2% per year.

Median home $159,007
1-year -7.9%
5-yr CAGR +2.8%
vs 5-yr peak -8.5%
Population -1.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-08$159k$73k$109k$145k$181k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
10/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
53/100
Workable for remote workers
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

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.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
13 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
52 · w22%
Distance from peak
50 · w18%
Population growth
27 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
76 · w10%
Long thesis

La Junta has held up across the cycle: home values at $159,007 with +2.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

La Junta is down 7.9% over the last 12 months and the trend isn't flattening. Falling knife rule applies: you don't catch one with your hands, you wait for it to hit the floor and stop moving.

About La Junta

La Junta is a city in Otero County, Colorado, with an estimated population of 6,986. The population has contracted 1.2% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in La Junta is $159,007 as of 2026-04, down 7.9% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.8% annual growth (-8.5% from the 5-year peak). The composite momentum score is 40 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

Bull case

Cheap entry point: $159,007 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.
The data is the data: La Junta has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

Bear case

Prices actively falling: down 7.9% in the last 12 months — buyer sentiment has flipped. Sellers competing on price.
Net out-migration: population shrinking 1.2% per year — services, schools, and tax base will follow.
Thin housing market: small population means fewer transactions and slower resale. Liquidity risk on exit.

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Otero County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Otero County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like La Junta

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
43° / 16°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
86° / 56°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
245
~67% of year
Annual precip
17″ rain
55″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
High
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Low

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

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current La Junta 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 Denver area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
54%
Dry climate
Median household income
$87,600
Colorado state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechAerospaceHealthcare

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.

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