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Compare towns

Stepping Stone vs Lyons

54 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (7.6× in Lyons) and household income (+82% in Stepping Stone).

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Stepping Stone, COOne of the healthiest townsColorado · 3,137 people
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Lyons, COOne of the healthiest townsColorado · 1,838 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.

Stepping StoneOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 99%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#27 most trails in CO2.2 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves All about Stepping Stone →
LyonsOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 98%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Housing$756K typical home42% above the CO typical home SchoolsBetter than 77%of CO districts All about Lyons →
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.

Jobs per worker7.6×
Lyons is more of a job hub
Lyons 0.68Stepping Stone 0.09
Household income+82%
Households in Stepping Stone earn more
Stepping Stone $223,839Lyons $122,837
Trails3×
Lyons has more miles of trail
Lyons 6.6 miStepping Stone 2.2 mi
Median age10.7 yrs
Lyons skews older
Lyons 46.4Stepping Stone 35.7
Age 65++11.9 pts
Lyons has more people 65 and up
Lyons 15.6%Stepping Stone 3.7%
Homeowners+13.3 pts renters
Lyons has more renters
Stepping Stone 98.8%Lyons 85.5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $250 more a month in Stepping Stone

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.

Stepping Stone$4,610/mo
Typical home $786K (Census) · tax rate 0.74% · Housing →
Lyons$4,360/mo
Typical home $756K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $1,981/mo · Housing →

The difference: $250 a month, about $3,000 a year, between Stepping Stone and Lyons.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
–Stepping StoneNot graded A−LyonsBetter than 77% of districts in the state
Health
A+Stepping StoneHealthier than 99% of U.S. towns A+LyonsHealthier than 98% of U.S. towns
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
Stepping StoneLyons
Snow a year64″47″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)44th95th
Outdoors & history
Stepping StoneLyons
Trails2 mi7 mi
Conserved land8.6%15.7%
Settled—1880
National Register places—5
Community
Stepping StoneLyons
Library hours a week—47 hrs
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

54 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Stepping StoneCOLyonsCO
Stepping Stone ↔ Lyons54 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.

Stepping StoneLyons
People
Population 3,137Highest 1,838Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +8.7% CO: +14.8%
Median age 35.7±3Lowest 5% below CO 46.4±4.2Highest 23% above CO
Kids under 18 30.7%±4.8Highest CO: 21% 29.2%±5.4Lowest CO: 21%
Stepping Stone and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 3.7%±2.7Lowest CO: 15.6% 15.6%±4.3Highest CO: 15.6%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 82.1%Highest CO: 45.7% 75.3%Lowest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±2.7Highest CO: 6.4% 1.8%±2Lowest CO: 6.4%
Stepping Stone and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $223,839±$47kHighest 134% above CO $122,837±$38kLowest 29% above CO
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $785,700±$55kLowest 46% above CO $845,400±$62kHighest 57% above CO
Lyons and Stepping Stone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,981±$388 12% above CO
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,828Highest 124% above CO $5,283Lowest 103% above CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 52.9%±33.9 CO: 52.9%
Below poverty line 0%Lowest CO: 9.4% 11.9%Highest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 98.8%Highest CO: 66.2% 85.5%Lowest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 2016Highest 28 yrs newer than CO 2000Lowest 12 yrs newer than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 4% above CO 22 minLowest 12% below CO
Work from home 46.3%±11.2Highest CO: 21% 45.7%±15.6Lowest CO: 21%
Stepping Stone and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.5%Lowest 7.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 14.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.09Lowest 0.68Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Denver (26%)Boulder (24%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LyonsFew work in Stepping Stone
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 8.6%Lowest 15.7%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 2.2 miLowest 6.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.8 miLowest 4.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 114Highest 71.9Lowest
Schools
School district —St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1J
High school in town —Lyons Middle/Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 14.4
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.

Stepping Stone neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Stepping Stone’s Town Square.

Lyons neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lyons’s Town Square.

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Bordering Stepping Stone

+ Compare
Parker61,783 people · $646K homes
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Meridian Village2,699 people · $732K homes
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Sierra Ridge3,663 people · $863K homes

Towns like Stepping Stone

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Cherry Hills Village6,354 people · $2M homes
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Breckenridge4,959 people · $1.01M homes
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Columbine Valley2,047 people · $1.58M homes
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Frisco2,825 people · $891K homes

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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