Cold semi-arid
Clifton, Colorado
Mesa County, Colorado · Population 20k · 4,741 ft elevation
Living in Clifton
Clifton has a cold semi-arid climate: very hot summers (July highs around 93°F) and cold winters (January lows around 19°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 9″ a year, and it gets light snow (13″ a season).
Skies are exceptionally sunny (72% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 46 and virtually no unhealthy-air days.
Clifton is an outdoor hub: about 67% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 4,800 ft around town.
Clifton at a glance
- Population
- 20k
- Elevation
- 4,741 ft
- Average daily high
- 66°F50th percentile
- Average daily low
- 42°F30th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 9″2th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 13″49th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,218 hrs85th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4673th percentile
- Median home value
- $234k43th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,035/mo37th percentile
- Median household income
- $54k21th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.41%4th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 4.4%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 7.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 9.5%
- Homes with broadband
- 93%62th percentile
- Walkability index
- 7.228th percentile
- Average commute
- 22 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 25%16th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 35%
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 7527th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9998th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 52%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 67%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 4,790 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°F | 19°F | 0.5″ | 3.4″ | 204 hrs |
| Feb | 47°F | 25°F | 0.5″ | 2.1″ | 197 hrs |
| Mar | 58°F | 34°F | 0.8″ | 1.1″ | 250 hrs |
| Apr | 66°F | 40°F | 1.0″ | 0.6″ | 268 hrs |
| May | 76°F | 50°F | 0.9″ | — | 314 hrs |
| Jun | 88°F | 59°F | 0.5″ | — | 365 hrs |
| Jul | 93°F | 65°F | 0.7″ | — | 352 hrs |
| Aug | 90°F | 63°F | 0.8″ | — | 325 hrs |
| Sep | 81°F | 55°F | 1.2″ | — | 296 hrs |
| Oct | 67°F | 42°F | 0.9″ | 0.2″ | 254 hrs |
| Nov | 52°F | 30°F | 0.7″ | 1.7″ | 211 hrs |
| Dec | 40°F | 20°F | 0.5″ | 3.5″ | 183 hrs |
Near Clifton
- Fruitvale, CO · 8k
- Orchard Mesa, CO · 6.6k
- Grand Junction, CO · 67k
- Palisade, CO · 2.6k
- Redlands, CO · 8.8k
- Fruita, CO · 14k
- Delta, CO · 9.3k
- Orchard City, CO · 3.2k
Largest places in Colorado
- Denver, CO · 714k
- Colorado Springs, CO · 483k
- Aurora, CO · 390k
- Fort Collins, CO · 170k
- Lakewood, CO · 156k
- Thornton, CO · 143k
- Arvada, CO · 123k
- Westminster, CO · 116k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology