CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.51° N · 104.82° W · GEOID 0873925

Stepping Stone

Douglas County, Colorado · part of the Denver, CO metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

ColoradoStepping Stone, COStepping StoneStepping Stone

The short answer

Stepping Stone is home to 3,137 people. Median household income is $223,839 a year and median rent is $2,193 a month, 11.8% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $785,700, about 3.5x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,193
61% above the median place
Median household income
$223,839
179% above the median place
Median home value
$785,700
146% above the median place
Unemployment
3.6%
27% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Stepping Stone

  • 0.0% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 99% of the 2,082 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 101 Colorado places.
  • 99% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 111 Colorado places.
  • Half the homes were built after 2016, newer housing than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 111 Colorado places.
  • 46% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 106 Colorado places.
  • 82% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a larger share than in 99% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 111 Colorado places.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 89 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

Many people here skip the commute entirely: 46% work from home, which keeps total commuting time lower than in 94% of places.

01

Moving to Stepping Stone

Douglas County gains about 15.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in30,467
Moved out25,027
Net+5,440

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Arapahoe County, CO6,8194,313+2,506
Denver County, CO3,5242,061+1,463
Jefferson County, CO2,5061,493+1,013
El Paso County, CO1,2131,205+8
Elbert County, CO364850−486

Within Colorado, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within ColoradoOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$112K
Leavers$108K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Douglas County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.6% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Douglas County report $111,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $108,500.
Income you would need
$87,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,193 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,267 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $785,700.
Getting to work
26 minutes each way on average; 46.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Wyndham, VA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
7.3%
28% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
15.8
above the median place (median -0.6)
Moved from another state1
4.6%
130% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureStepping StoneAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year17.3%28% above
Moved from another state1County figure4.6%130% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure15.8above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$111,89959% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$108,48854% above
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

Stepping Stone11.8%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$87,720
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
11.8%
42% below the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
8% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
12%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$203,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Stepping Stone, $2,193 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Stepping Stone, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Medina, MN7.4% vs 11.8%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Stepping Stone.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Stepping Stone? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
98.8%
49% above the median place
Median year built1
2016
2% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureStepping StoneAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$2,19361% above
Rent to income111.8%42% below
Property tax rate10.7%19% below
Home price to income13.5x8% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure105.85% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,16934% above
HUD area median income4County figure$144,00034% above
Property tax paid (median)1$5,82879% above
Median home value1$785,700146% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.7%45% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure39.8%23% below
Homeownership198.8%49% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure51.3%1% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,26775% above
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built120162% above
03

Work and pay

Poverty rate is 0.0%, below the median place (median 10.8%).

Poverty rate1
0.0%
below the median place (median 10.8%)
Works from home1
46.3%
272% above the median place
Median household income1
$223,839
179% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureStepping StoneAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$223,839179% above
Income per person1$74,61986% above
Unemployment1County figure3.6%27% below
Average annual pay6County figure$88,81135% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs6County figure149,5921% below
Poverty rate10.0%below (median 10.8%)
Mean commute126 min6% above
Works from home146.3%272% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.6%31% below
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 100.0%, 8% above the median place.

High school or higher1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
82.1%
156% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size3.1 +25%
Median age35.7 −8%
Born abroad13.7% +55%
All 8 people measures
MeasureStepping StoneAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,1376646th largest
Median age135.78% below
Bachelor's or higher182.1%156% above
High school or higher1100.0%8% above
Household size13.125% above
Born abroad113.7%55% above
No health insurance1County figure3.9%39% below
Homes with broadband1100.0%8% above
05

Life in Stepping Stone

29 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents38.3 3.8×
Playgrounds per 10k31.9 3.4×
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −30%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars17.1 −18%
Shops25.4 −16%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.5 +34%
Doctors' offices and clinics25.9 +28%
Child care centers1.9 −17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students11
63,534
above the median place (median 4,897)
Public schools11
91
above the median place (median 9)
Shops per 10k8
25.4
16% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureStepping StoneAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure91above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure63,534above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure17.916% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure17.118% below
Shops per 10k8County figure25.416% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.534% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure25.928% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.917% below
Parks per 10k938.3276% above
Playgrounds per 10k931.9239% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails91.430% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure29123% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 98.4, 61% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Stepping Stone. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk13
98.4
61% above the median place
Annual precipitation12
18.5 in
58% below the median place
Average temperature12
48°F
13% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureStepping StoneAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure84°F4% below
January average low12County figure17°F35% below
Average temperature12County figure48°F13% below
Annual precipitation12County figure18.5 in58% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure88.74% below
Tornado risk13County figure93.315% above
Wildfire risk13County figure98.461% above
Heat wave risk13County figure54.939% below
Median air quality index14County figure467% above
Good air days14County figure67.7%1% below
08

Stepping Stone in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$223,839 (2024)$281,000$237,500 to $332,500+3.9%
Median home value$785,700 (2024)$1,111,000$806,000 to $1,530,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 3.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Stepping Stone

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Wyndham, VA$2,258$235,250Compare
Brambleton, VA$2,479$238,018Compare
Chatham, NJ$2,250$241,500Compare
Belle Mead, NJ$2,627$223,250Compare
Belle Mead, NJChatham, NJBrambleton, VAWyndham, VAStepping Stone, COStepping StoneWyndhamBrambletonChathamStepping StoneWyndhamChatham

Common questions

Is Stepping Stone a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0.0% of residents live below the poverty line, fewer than in 99% of the 2,082 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 101 Colorado places. 99% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 99% of places its size. It is the highest of 111 Colorado places. On cost, space and class size it scores 100 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Stepping Stone expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 11.8% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $785,700.

What salary do you need to live in Stepping Stone?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $87,720 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Stepping Stone?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Wyndham, VA, Brambleton, VA, Chatham, NJ and Belle Mead, NJ.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Stepping Stone with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Stepping Stone itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/stepping-stone-colorado

Citytistics. “Stepping Stone, Colorado.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/stepping-stone-colorado/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.