Centennial vs Colorado Springs
The short version
- Colorado Springs is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Centennial area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $452,600 in Colorado Springs and $658,100 in Centennial.
- Households earn more in Centennial ($131,928 vs $84,818 median).
- Colorado Springs is growing faster: +3.1% since 2020 vs +0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Colorado Springs (23 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Centennial, CO | Colorado Springs, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 108,658 | 494,743 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| People per square mile | 3,603 | 2,448 |
| Median age | 42.0 | 35.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 63% | 43% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $131,928 | $84,818 |
| Median home value | $658,100 | $452,600 |
| Home value to income | 5.0× | 5.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,148 | $1,648 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 105.8 | 100.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 146.9 | 116.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,300 | $75,500 |
| Homeowners | 81% | 61% |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.89% | 7.89% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.9 | 22.7 |
| Work from home | 27% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Poverty rate | 3.3% | 9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 19° | 45° / 19° |
| July high / low | 87° / 59° | 87° / 58° |
| Precipitation per year | 15 in | 16 in |
| Snowfall per year | 34 in | 33 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 32 | 23 |
| Nights below freezing | 155 | 160 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.8 | 94.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 29% | 68% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.5% | +0.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +21.4% | +22.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Centennial: May to June and August to September. Colorado Springs: May to June and August to September.
Full monthly tables: Centennial weather by month and Colorado Springs weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $79,300 in Centennial and $75,500 in Colorado Springs. Moving from Centennial to Colorado Springs, you would need about $71,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Centennial and Colorado Springs
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Centennial and Colorado Springs.
Which would you pick?
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