Cold semi-arid
Cortez, Colorado
Montezuma County, Colorado · Population 8.9k · 6,217 ft elevation
Living in Cortez
Cortez has a cold semi-arid climate: very hot summers (July highs around 90°F) and cold winters (January lows around 16°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 12″ a year, and it gets a fair bit of snow (33″ a season).
Skies are exceptionally sunny (75% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 45, with about 1 unhealthy-air day in the latest year.
Cortez is an outdoor hub: about 37% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 4,200 ft around town.
Cortez at a glance
- Population
- 8.9k
- Elevation
- 6,217 ft
- Average daily high
- 66°F50th percentile
- Average daily low
- 36°F7th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 12″5th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 33″73th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,333 hrs88th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4570th percentile
- Median home value
- $227k41th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,028/mo36th percentile
- Median household income
- $51k17th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.31%2th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 4.4%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 7.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.6%
- Homes with broadband
- 86%24th percentile
- Walkability index
- 6.923th percentile
- Average commute
- 17 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 22%12th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 42%
- Violent crime rate
- 573 per 100k91th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 2,098 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 4810th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9695th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 25%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 37%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 4,199 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°F | 16°F | 1.1″ | 8.0″ | 211 hrs |
| Feb | 47°F | 21°F | 1.0″ | 7.2″ | 196 hrs |
| Mar | 56°F | 27°F | 0.9″ | 5.0″ | 261 hrs |
| Apr | 63°F | 33°F | 0.7″ | 2.2″ | 286 hrs |
| May | 73°F | 41°F | 0.9″ | 0.3″ | 339 hrs |
| Jun | 85°F | 49°F | 0.4″ | — | 381 hrs |
| Jul | 90°F | 57°F | 1.3″ | — | 349 hrs |
| Aug | 88°F | 56°F | 1.3″ | — | 323 hrs |
| Sep | 80°F | 47°F | 1.5″ | — | 295 hrs |
| Oct | 67°F | 35°F | 1.1″ | 0.6″ | 272 hrs |
| Nov | 54°F | 26°F | 0.8″ | 2.7″ | 228 hrs |
| Dec | 43°F | 18°F | 0.9″ | 7.4″ | 192 hrs |
Near Cortez
- Durango, CO · 19k
- Bayfield, CO · 2.9k
- Telluride, CO · 2.6k
- Montrose, CO · 21k
- Delta, CO · 9.3k
- Orchard City, CO · 3.2k
- Orchard Mesa, CO · 6.6k
- Clifton, CO · 20k
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