Alamosa, Colorado

City in Alamosa County · population 9,806 (2020 Census)

Median home: $225,200
Household income: $49,688
Jan low / Jul high: 0° / 83°
Snow a year: 30 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 8
Median age: 31.2

Alamosa is a city of 9,806 people in Alamosa County, Colorado. The median home is worth $225,200, below the typical Colorado town ($471,100). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 89% of Colorado towns, hipper than 79% of Colorado towns, better for young professionals than 76% of Colorado towns.

Alamosa in our rankings:

How Alamosa ranks

Percentile among Colorado towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Colorado towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Alamosa is worth $225,200, below the typical Colorado town ($471,100). Homes cost about 4.5 times the median household income of $49,688, which is more affordable than 68% of Colorado towns. Median rent is $837 a month. 44.3% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Colorado towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Alamosa	Typical Colorado town
Median home value	$225,200	$471,100
Median rent	$837	$1,582
Median household income	$49,688	$86,246
Home value ÷ income	4.5×	5.1×
Homeownership	44.3%	72.7%
Median year built	1976	1982
Seasonal / vacation homes	1.0%	—

Who lives in Alamosa

People	Alamosa	Typical Colorado town
Median age	31.2	40.1
Age 65 and over	13.3%	16.9%
Under 18	25.8%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.3%	37.8%
Below the poverty line	15.9%	8.8%
Veterans	2.8%	—
Born outside the U.S.	6.8%	—
Work from home	4.3%	15.3%
Average commute	14.1 min	24.2 min
Homes with broadband	90.8%	92.9%

Weather in Alamosa

July highs average 82.9°F and January lows -0.4°F. About 7.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 30.0 inches of snow (typical Colorado town: 47.4 in). Expect about 3 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 221 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Alamosa 1E station (1.1 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Alamosa since 1950, compared with 11 for the typical Colorado town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on July 10, 1955 about 1.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 15, 2004.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 2 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on September 7, 1986.

Severe weather in Alamosa County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Alamosa County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

Alamosa County has been included in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 28, 2020	Biological	DR-4498: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3436: Covid-19
September 5, 2005	Coastal Storm	EM-3224: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
April 9, 2003	Snowstorm	EM-3185: Snow
June 19, 2002	Fire	DR-1421: Wildfires

Jobs and pay in Alamosa County

Alamosa County had 8,152 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $49,261 a year. Unemployment was 3.7% in 2023; in Alamosa itself the ACS puts it at 4.4%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Alamosa

5 public schools with 2,038 students, about 15.1 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Alamosa High School	9-12	570	15.4
Ortega Middle School	6-8	499	15.1
Alamosa Elementary School 3-5	3-5	479	15.5
Alamosa Elementary School K-2	K-2	447	14.4
Alamosa Alternative Education School	6-12	43	14.3

Towns near Alamosa

Monte Vista, CO
16.6 mi · 4,247 people · home $224,500

Alamosa questions

Is Alamosa, Colorado a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Alamosa scores better for retirees than 8% of Colorado towns and quieter than 7%. 13.3% of residents are 65 or older (median age 31.2).

How much does a house cost in Alamosa?

The median owner-occupied home in Alamosa is valued at $225,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $49,688, so homes cost about 4.5 times income. Median rent is $837 a month.

What is the weather like in Alamosa?

July highs average 82.9°F and January lows -0.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 7.3 inches of precipitation a year and 30.0 inches of snow.

Does Alamosa get tornadoes?

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Alamosa since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on July 10, 1955. The typical Colorado town has had 11.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Alamosa's Census boundary (GEOID 0801090). Comparisons use the median of Colorado towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.