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Compare towns

Brush vs La Junta

158 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2.6× in Brush) and household income (+40% in Brush).

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Brush, COHomes around $299KColorado · 5,306 people
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La Junta, COHomes around $164KColorado · 7,140 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $810 more a month in Brush

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Brush$1,700/mo
Typical home $299K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.54% · or rent about $692/mo · Housing →
La Junta$900/mo
Typical home $164K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.29% · or rent about $642/mo · Housing →

The difference: $810 a month, about $9,700 a year, between Brush and La Junta.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Brush places higher on 11 of 20 CO lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Colorado ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BrushLa Junta
Snow a year23″34″
January low13°F17°F
July high90°F93°F
Growing season (days)153d171d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)90th67th
Outdoors & history
BrushLa Junta
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land2.3%1.4%
Settled—1881
National Register places59
Archive photos—23
Community
BrushLa Junta
Library hours a week57 hrs49 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

158 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Brush ↔ La Junta158 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BrushLa Junta
People
Population 5,306Lowest 7,140Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.3%Lowest CO: +14.8% +3.5%Highest CO: +14.8%
Median age 38.6±4.6Highest about the CO average 38.2±3.2Lowest about the CO average
Brush and La Junta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.8%±5.2Lowest CO: 21% 24.6%±3.9Highest CO: 21%
La Junta and Brush are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16.5%±4.2Lowest CO: 15.6% 21.5%±4Highest CO: 15.6%
La Junta and Brush are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.5%Lowest CO: 45.7% 18%Highest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±2.6Lowest CO: 6.4% 7.1%±2Highest CO: 6.4%
La Junta and Brush are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $73,382±$8kHighest 23% below CO $52,315±$7kLowest 45% below CO
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $273,000±$36kHighest 49% below CO $194,800±$40kLowest 64% below CO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $692±$236Highest 61% below CO $642±$202Lowest 64% below CO
Brush and La Junta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,480Highest 43% below CO $562Lowest 78% below CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 67%±30.4Highest CO: 52.9% 45.1%±16.3Lowest CO: 52.9%
Brush and La Junta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.2%Lowest CO: 9.4% 27.4%Highest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 60.5%Lowest CO: 66.2% 67%Highest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Highest 16 yrs older than CO 1960Lowest 28 yrs older than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 29% below CO 22 minHighest 12% below CO
Work from home 1.4%±2.1Lowest CO: 21% 7.1%±4.1Highest CO: 21%
La Junta and Brush are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 18.8%Lowest 39.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miHighest 5.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.61Lowest 1.06Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Fort Morgan (28%)Colorado Springs (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in La JuntaFew work in Brush
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.3%Highest 1.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 64.8Lowest 120Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #142 of 142 in CO#125 of 142 in CO
School district School District No. Re-2 BrushEast Otero School District No. R1
High school in town Brush High SchoolLa Junta Jr/Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school 14.1Lowest 15.9Highest
Colorado average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Brush neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brush’s Town Square.

La Junta neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to La Junta’s Town Square.

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Towns like Brush

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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