What it's like to live in Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan is a small city in Colorado with rent below the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fort Morgan deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, cold, harsh winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold, harsh winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Fort Morgan compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fort Morgan
Based on Fort Morgan's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,134
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,680 a year
- 45% of Fort Morgan renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$62,680
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,340
- Homes cost 4.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 24% below US
$1,067/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,067 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $313,400. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $313,400 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Morgan County is 4.1%, 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.
Morgan County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 23% below US
252 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1419/100k · Fort Morgan Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 35% below US
17 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 16.8 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 87°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
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 49% below US
18% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Fort Morgan's strongest points are rent below the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,067/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Fort Morgan
All Colorado guides →Moving to Sterling →
40 mi away · pop. 13,172
Rent $1,031/mo · Income $43,283
Compare with Fort Morgan →Moving to Greeley →
53 mi away · pop. 110,806
Rent $1,388/mo · Income $69,881
Compare with Fort Morgan →Moving to Brighton →
56 mi away · pop. 42,059
Rent $1,779/mo · Income $107,679
Compare with Fort Morgan →Not sure Fort Morgan is the one?
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