Vail is #1 in Colorado for library visits
Vail is ranked on 38 lists against the 160 Colorado towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 7 and the top quarter on 13.
Vail is on Colorado’s podium 2 times
Each list ranks every CO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Vail marked.
Fewer kids than 100% of Colorado
Not better or worse, just Vail’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for kids’ library use
Lists where Vail sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Vail lands in the top half on 17 of 25 lists
Each dot is Vail’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in CO, the right end is last. Areas where Vail does best come first.
Every CO list, and where Vail lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Superior · 100 / 100
#12
Lowest obesity#1 Superior · 15%
#10
Fewest smokers#1 Lone Tree · 7%
#11
Most active#1 Superior · 9%
#9
Fewest uninsured#1 Genesee · 4%
#31
Lowest depression#1 Sherrelwood · 20%
#11
Closest to a top hospital#1 Trinidad · 0.1 mi
#3 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Vail · 24.3 per resident
#1
Most library borrowing#1 Lafayette · 13.9 per resident
#3
Best libraries for kids#1 Littleton · 29.7 per child
#4 People
Most educated#1 Cherry Hills Village · 83.4%
#21
Youngest#1 Air Force Academy · 21.0
#150
Oldest#1 Lincoln Park · 59.1
#11
Most residents 65+#1 Lincoln Park · 34.7%
#25
S
Most kids#1 Sierra Ridge · 34%
#160 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Lamar · 9.7 min
#26 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Gunbarrel · 55.3%
#9
Most trails#1 New Castle · 7.2 mi / sq mi
#65
Most walkable#1 Edgewater · 188 / sq mi
#117 Schools
Best schools#1 Cherry Hills Village · +32.0 pts
#57
Highest graduation rate#1 Lamar · 97%
#80 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Federal Heights · 1.0 yrs
#155
Cheapest rent#1 La Junta · $642/mo
#53
Lowest property tax#1 Walsenburg · $393/yr
#129
Rent easiest to afford#1 Craig · 33.3%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Breckenridge · 55.9%
#3
Most new homes#1 Timnath · 44.0 per 1,000
#65
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Breckenridge · +76.5%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Federal Heights · 33.9 per home
Safety
Safest#1 Milliken · 4.8
#69 
The number on the right is Vail’s spot. All of Colorado’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every CO list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.