What it's like to live in Berthoud
Berthoud is a small city in Colorado with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Berthoud deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- Cold, harsh winters
How Berthoud compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Berthoud
Based on Berthoud's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,590
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $71,800 a year
- 36% of Berthoud renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$106,700
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $53,350
- Homes cost 4.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 27% above US
$1,795/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,795 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $533,500. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $533,500 · 36% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Larimer County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Larimer County (county-wide)
Safety
296 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Berthoud doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Weld County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 948/100k · Policed by Weld County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 21% above US
32 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 31.5 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 14°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 34% above US
48% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 48% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Rocky Mountain National Park (35 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Berthoud's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,795/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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