Salida, Colorado

City in Chaffee County · population 5,666 (2020 Census)

Median home: $648,500
Household income: $70,045
Jan low / Jul high: 12° / 86°
Snow a year: 37 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 44.1

Salida is a city of 5,666 people in Chaffee County, Colorado. The median home is worth $648,500, above the typical Colorado town ($471,100). It ranks better for cycling than 99% of Colorado towns, hipper than 96% of Colorado towns, better for retirees than 80% of Colorado towns.

Salida in our rankings:

How Salida 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 Salida is worth $648,500, above the typical Colorado town ($471,100). Homes cost about 9.3 times the median household income of $70,045, which is more affordable than 6% of Colorado towns. Median rent is $1,292 a month. 63.4% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Salida	Typical Colorado town
Median home value	$648,500	$471,100
Median rent	$1,292	$1,582
Median household income	$70,045	$86,246
Home value ÷ income	9.3×	5.1×
Homeownership	63.4%	72.7%
Median year built	1972	1982
Seasonal / vacation homes	9.5%	—

Who lives in Salida

People	Salida	Typical Colorado town
Median age	44.1	40.1
Age 65 and over	23.2%	16.9%
Under 18	17.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	53.5%	37.8%
Below the poverty line	11.1%	8.8%
Veterans	7.1%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.6%	—
Work from home	27.8%	15.3%
Average commute	16.8 min	24.2 min
Homes with broadband	86.7%	92.9%

Weather in Salida

July highs average 85.8°F and January lows 11.5°F. About 8.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 36.7 inches of snow (typical Colorado town: 47.4 in). Expect about 15 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 201 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 Salida station (0.9 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Salida since 1950, compared with 11 for the typical Colorado town. The strongest, an F0, struck on May 5, 1991 about 0.1 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 5, 1991.

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 July 24, 2013.

Severe weather in Chaffee County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Chaffee County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 9 deaths recorded.

Chaffee County has been included in 5 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, snowstorm, biological.

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 Chaffee County

Chaffee County had 9,229 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $52,718 a year. Unemployment was 3% in 2023; in Salida itself the ACS puts it at 1.6%.

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 Salida

7 public schools with 1,473 students, about 14.4 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Longfellow Elementary School	K-4	447	15.4
Salida High School	9-12	404	17.6
Salida Middle School	5-8	311	14.1
Salida Montessori Charter School (charter)	PK-8	151	11.6
Salida Early Childhood Center	PK-PK	66	7.3
Crest Academy	5-8	56	18.7
Horizons Exploratory Academy	9-12	38	12.7

Towns near Salida

Buena Vista, CO
22.1 mi · 2,855 people · home $572,700

Salida questions

Is Salida, Colorado a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Salida scores better for retirees than 80% of Colorado towns and quieter than 45%. 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (median age 44.1).

How much does a house cost in Salida?

The median owner-occupied home in Salida is valued at $648,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $70,045, so homes cost about 9.3 times income. Median rent is $1,292 a month.

What is the weather like in Salida?

July highs average 85.8°F and January lows 11.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 8.8 inches of precipitation a year and 36.7 inches of snow.

Does Salida get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Salida since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F0 on May 5, 1991. The typical Colorado town has had 11.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Salida's Census boundary (GEOID 0867280). 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 2026-11-12.