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Compare towns

Lafayette vs Durango

241 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2.3× in Lafayette) and work in town (+50.8 pts in Durango).

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Lafayette, COAn outdoors townColorado · 30,602 people
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Durango, COAn outdoors townColorado · 19,411 people
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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.

LafayetteAn outdoors town
Outdoors#14 most trails in CO33 miles of trails across 28 parks and preserves Schools#23 for schools in COof 142 towns HealthHealthier than 98%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Lafayette →
DurangoAn outdoors town
Outdoors#4 most trails in CO103 miles of trails across 20 parks and preserves Work16,312 jobsbased in Durango, a regional job hub Schools#39 for schools in COof 142 towns All about Durango →
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.

Property tax bill2.3×
Tax bills are bigger in Lafayette
Lafayette $3,258Durango $1,443
Work in town+50.8 pts
More of Durango’s workers stay in town
Durango 60.7%Lafayette 9.9%
Street grid3.5×
Lafayette has the more walkable street grid
Lafayette 121Durango 34.8
Trails3.2×
Durango has more miles of trail
Durango 103.3 miLafayette 32.5 mi
Household income+51%
Households in Lafayette earn more
Lafayette $119,040Durango $78,602
Work from home+15.1 pts
More people work from home in Lafayette
Lafayette 30.1%Durango 15%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Lafayette places higher on 13 of 22 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.

Safety
C−LafayetteSafer than 23% of U.S. towns –DurangoNot graded
Schools
A+LafayetteBetter than 95% of districts in the state BDurangoBetter than 64% of districts in the state
Health
A+LafayetteHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns ADurangoHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns
13Lafayette
8Durango

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 142 towns #23#127 Most walkableOutdoors · 160 towns #18#134 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 160 towns #13#111 Lowest property taxCost of living · 158 towns #104#29 Highest incomeIncome · 160 towns #48#117 Most remote workersWork · 148 towns #21#83 Cheapest rentCost of living · 153 towns #117#55 Shortest commuteGetting around · 160 towns #70#8

Left end = #1 in Colorado. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Lafayette’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $380 more a month in Durango

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.

Lafayette$3,770/mo
Typical home $668K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.47% · or rent about $2,121/mo · Housing →
Durango$4,150/mo
Typical home $765K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.22% · or rent about $1,636/mo · Housing →

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Durango and Lafayette.

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.

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
LafayetteDurango
Snow a year65″64″
January low—13°F
July high—85°F
Growing season (days)—134d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)15th87th
Outdoors & history
LafayetteDurango
Trails33 mi103 mi
Conserved land21.5%22.5%
Settled18881881
National Register places89
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—41
Community
LafayetteDurango
Library hours a week58 hrs49 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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

241 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LafayetteCODurangoCO
Lafayette ↔ Durango241 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.

LafayetteDurango
People
Population 30,602Highest 19,411Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +24.4%Highest CO: +14.8% +12.9%Lowest CO: +14.8%
Median age 39.1±1.6Highest 4% above CO 38.3±2.3Lowest about the CO average
Lafayette and Durango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.7%±2.1Highest CO: 21% 13.7%±1.8Lowest CO: 21%
Age 65+ 16.1%±1.8Lowest CO: 15.6% 16.7%±2.2Highest CO: 15.6%
Durango and Lafayette are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 63.5%Highest CO: 45.7% 60.4%Lowest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.6%±1.5Lowest CO: 6.4% 14.3%±1.6Highest CO: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $119,040±$10kHighest 25% above CO $78,602±$9kLowest 18% below CO
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $686,500±$21kHighest 27% above CO $668,400±$43kLowest 24% above CO
Lafayette and Durango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,121±$138Highest 20% above CO $1,636±$101Lowest 7% below CO
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,258Highest 25% above CO $1,443Lowest 45% below CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.4%±10.1Highest CO: 52.9% 53.4%±8.8Lowest CO: 52.9%
Lafayette and Durango are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.6%Lowest CO: 9.4% 13%Highest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 65.7%Highest CO: 66.2% 53%Lowest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1994Highest 6 yrs newer than CO 1989Lowest 1 yr newer than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 6% below CO 14 minLowest 43% below CO
Work from home 30.1%±2.8Highest CO: 21% 15%±2.5Lowest CO: 21%
Work in townworking residents 9.9%Lowest 60.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miHighest 3.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.08Lowest 2.00Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Boulder (23%)Denver (2%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DurangoFew work in Lafayette
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 21.5%Lowest 22.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 32.5 miLowest 103.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.5 miLowest 5.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 28Highest 20Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 121Highest 34.8Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #23 of 142 in CO#39 of 142 in CO
School district Boulder Valley School District No. Re2Durango School District No. 9-R · San Juan BOCES
High school in town Centaurus High SchoolDurango High School
Students per teacherat that high school 20.0Highest 16.1Lowest
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.

Lafayette neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Lafayette can answer.

Durango neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Durango’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lafayette and Durango

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Bordering Lafayette

E
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Erie33,808 people · $737K homes
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Louisville20,786 people · $884K homes
B
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Broomfield76,304 people · $665K homes
L
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Leyner

Towns like Lafayette

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Littleton44,710 people · $631K homes
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Golden20,417 people · $838K homes
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Windsor37,914 people · $604K homes
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Parker61,783 people · $646K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Colorado towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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