Fort Collins vs Longmont
The short version
- Fort Collins is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Longmont area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $572,800 in Longmont and $577,900 in Fort Collins.
- Households earn more in Longmont ($90,671 vs $85,070 median).
- Longmont gets far more snow: 93 inches a year vs 51.
- Longmont has more scorching days: 49 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 29.
- Commutes are shorter in Fort Collins (20 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Fort Collins, CO | Longmont, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 171,500 | 100,109 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1% | +1.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,996 | 3,421 |
| Median age | 30.9 | 40.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 61% | 47% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $85,070 | $90,671 |
| Median home value | $577,900 | $572,800 |
| Home value to income | 6.8× | 6.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,690 | $1,816 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.1 | 105.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 120.6 | 157.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,800 | $78,900 |
| Homeowners | 52% | 63% |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.89% | 7.89% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.5 | 24.5 |
| Work from home | 22% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.4% | 4.8% |
| Poverty rate | 15.8% | 8.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 45° / 18° | 45° / 14° |
| July high / low | 87° / 59° | 91° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 15 in |
| Snowfall per year | 51 in | 93 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 29 | 49 |
| Nights below freezing | 150 | 178 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.1 | 90.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 51% | 58% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.2% | -2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.3% | +22.5% |
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: Fort Collins: May to June and August to September. Longmont: June and September.
Full monthly tables: Fort Collins weather by month and Longmont weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,800 in Fort Collins and $78,900 in Longmont. Moving from Fort Collins to Longmont, you would need about $78,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Fort Collins and Longmont
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Fort Collins and Longmont.
Which would you pick?
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