How big is Aspen, Colorado?

Aspen has a population of approximately 9,282 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a town by Census Place size classification.

Is housing in Aspen affordable?

By the years-to-own measure, housing in Aspen is very expensive. The median home value ($3,364,892) divided by the median household income ($95,708) gives a ratio of 35.2 — meaning the median home costs about 35.2 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.

Is the climate changing in Aspen?

Aspen is steadily warming at a rate of 3.05°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.

What is the median household income in Aspen?

The median household income in Aspen is $95,708, which ranks at the 82th percentile nationally — higher than 82% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.

How did Aspen vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Aspen is strongly democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 27% Republican and 71% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.

What is the local economy like in Aspen?

Aspen's economy is moderately concentrated across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,696. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 45% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.

What county is Aspen in?

Aspen is in Pitkin County, CO. Pitkin County has a total population of 14,345 with a years-to-own ratio of 30.4.

How old is the population in Aspen?

The median resident in Aspen is -3591136.8 years old, which is younger than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Aspen, Colorado — Commerce Institute

126 years of weather, in one panel

What weather looks like here

Annual averages back to 1900 (NOAA NCEI nClimDiv), severe weather counts since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events Database).

1900–2024 — every year's average temperature

Each stripe is one year. Blue = cooler, red = warmer. The trend is the story. Dashed line marks 1970, when the modern warming era began. 125 years of NOAA nClimDiv records.

Long-run shift

+2.1°F

1900–1929 avg → 2000s+ avg

Warmest year

2017 · 40.5°F

Coldest year

1912 · 34.3°F

By the numbers

Annual avg temp

38.5°F

↗ +2.4°F since 1900

Annual precip

28.1″

Below US avg (30″)

Heating degree days

9,638

cold heating bills

Cooling degree days

light AC use

Severe weather, 1950–2024

Counted events from NOAA Storm Events Database

Tornadoes

≈ 1 every 37 years

Hail

75-yr record

Flash floods

75-yr record

Floods

≈ 1 every 9 years

Lightning

75-yr record

Within driving distance

In Aspen's orbit

Nearby places — neighbors, the closest county seat, the closest college town. Click through to compare.

Redstone

CO · pop

Twin Lakes

CO · pop

Leadville

CO · pop

Woody Creek

CO · pop

Snowmass Village

CO · pop

Mount Crested Butte

CO · pop

Red Cliff

CO · pop

Pitkin

CO · pop

Against every other US town

What stands out

Where Aspen ranks among 32,000+ US Census places. Each dot is this place; the gray band is the national distribution; the red tick is the national median.

Industry mix

Local establishment count by NAICS sector · Census County Business Patterns · 2014–2022

Professional29%

Retail25%

Food & lodging18%

Construction17%

Healthcare9%

Manufacturing2%

Agriculture0%

What's notable about Aspen

Top 1% nationally for home values
Top 5% nationally for education level
Top 1% nationally for housing cost burden
Top quartile nationally for household income (rank 82)
Bottom quartile nationally for industry diversity (rank 11)

If you like Aspen

Towns that feel familiar

Across our 768-dimensional embedding of demographics, climate, and economy, these are the places most like Aspen.

#1 · 0.99

Glenwood Springs

CO · pop

HHI$103k

#2 · 0.99

New Castle

CO · pop

HHI$80k

#3 · 0.99

Parachute

CO · pop

HHI$77k

Jan temp25°F

#4 · 0.99

Silt

CO · pop

HHI$97k

Jan temp25°F

Frequently asked

Common questions about Aspen

Each answer is computed from the data on this page. Citation sources linked in each answer.

How big is Aspen, Colorado?: Aspen has a population of approximately 9,282 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a town by Census Place size classification.
Is housing in Aspen affordable?: By the years-to-own measure, housing in Aspen is very expensive. The median home value ($3,364,892) divided by the median household income ($95,708) gives a ratio of 35.2 — meaning the median home costs about 35.2 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.
Is the climate changing in Aspen?: Aspen is steadily warming at a rate of 3.05°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.
What is the median household income in Aspen?: The median household income in Aspen is $95,708, which ranks at the 82th percentile nationally — higher than 82% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.
How did Aspen vote in the 2024 presidential election?: Aspen is strongly democratic-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 27% Republican and 71% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.
What is the local economy like in Aspen?: Aspen's economy is moderately concentrated across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,696. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 45% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.
What county is Aspen in?: Aspen is in Pitkin County, CO. Pitkin County has a total population of 14,345 with a years-to-own ratio of 30.4.
How old is the population in Aspen?: The median resident in Aspen is -3591136.8 years old, which is younger than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

The bottom line

Aspen is in the top 1% of US Census places for housing cost burden; is in the top 1% of US Census places for home values; and is in the top 5% of US Census places for education level.

Every fact on this page is queryable. Methodology for every metric is published. Source datasets are federal, public-domain, and refresh-tracked.

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.

Commerce Institute builds profiles from public-domain federal datasets only — no surveys, no proprietary scoring, no opaque indexes. Every metric on this page is queryable; every methodology is published.

U.S. Census ACS — demographics, housing, education, 2014–2023
BEA Personal Income — per-capita income, 1969–2024
BLS QCEW — wages by NAICS sector, 1990–2024
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv — climate, 1901–2024
NOAA Storm Events — severe weather, 1950–2024
Zillow ZHVI — home values, 2000–2025
FHFA HPI — housing index, 1975–2025
IRS SOI Migration — net flows + AGI, 1991–2022
MIT Election Lab — presidential, 2008–2024
Census CBP — business establishments by NAICS, 2014–2022
USGS Elevation — place elevation
OpenStreetMap — retail brand presence, F&B amenities
+ 23 more sources — covering health, schools, banking, agriculture, mobility, civic life

Rendered 2026-05-12. See methodology for every metric definition.

Aspen,
Colorado.

81611

Pitkin County, CO

Colorado

The slow remaking of a pitkin

The lay of the land

What weather looks like here

In Aspen's orbit

What stands out

What's notable about Aspen

Towns that feel familiar

Common questions about Aspen

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.