What it's like to live in Lone Tree

Lone Tree is a small city in Colorado with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lone Tree deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, crime rates above the national average, and cold winters.

The good

  • Low unemployment in the county
  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Growing population
  • Average class sizes

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Crime above national average
  • Cold winters
  • Heavy snowfall — 64" per year

How Lone Tree compares

Median household income

Lone Tree$123,741
Colorado avg$95,470
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Lone Tree$2,139
Colorado avg$1,761
US$1,413

Median home value

Lone Tree$874,100
Colorado avg$539,400
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Lone Tree

Based on Lone Tree's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,278

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $85,560 a year
  • 37% of Lone Tree renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$174,820

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $87,410
  • Homes cost 7.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 51% above US

$2,139/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,139 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $874,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $874,100 · 37% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.7% county unemployment

Unemployment in Douglas County is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Douglas County (county-wide)

Safety▲ 47% above US

485 violent crimes per 100k

Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.

Property crime 9813/100k · Lone Tree Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 25.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 32% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
58%
Work from home
32%
Carpool
4.4%
Other
2.1%
Walk
1.9%
Public transit
1.3%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 19°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
10°30°50°70°90°2.5"Jan: 0.41" precipitationFeb: 0.43" precipitationMar: 1.04" precipitationApr: 1.94" precipitationMay: 2.04" precipitationJun: 1.98" precipitationJul: 1.76" precipitationAug: 2.25" precipitationSep: 1.29" precipitationOct: 1.00" precipitationNov: 0.53" precipitationDec: 0.35" precipitationJJan: high 45°F, low 19°FFFeb: high 46°F, low 20°FMMar: high 54°F, low 27°FAApr: high 60°F, low 34°FMMay: high 69°F, low 43°FJJun: high 81°F, low 52°F87°JJul: high 87°F, low 59°FAAug: high 85°F, low 57°FSSep: high 77°F, low 49°FOOct: high 64°F, low 36°FNNov: high 52°F, low 26°F19°DDec: high 44°F, low 19°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 98% above US

71% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (48 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Lone Tree's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,139/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (32% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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