More than 8 in 10 residents rated Estes Park positively as a desirable place to live in the National Community Survey conducted by the Town of Estes Park this summer, according to Kate Miller, the Town’s public information officer. The NCS is a standardized survey tool used by local jurisdictions nationwide, enabling the Town to benchmark its results and compare them with those of other communities.

Miller shared details of the survey with the Town Trustees at the Town Board meeting last Tuesday. This is the seventh time since 2011 that Estes Park has participated in this survey. To read and compare the results from 2021, 2023, and 2025, click here.

“Conducting it consistently and for such a long period of time really reflects the Town’s commitment to hearing from our residents and continuing to ask the questions,” said Miller. “It’s an important source of information for informing our decisions.”

The survey was mailed to 3,000 randomly selected households in Estes Park, and a link to an online open-participation survey was made available. Almost 600 people responded between July 7 and Sept. 1.

According to a detailed report provided by Polco/National Research Center, a community research company based in Madison, Wisconsin, the survey results were weighted so that the demographic profile of respondents was representative of the demographic profile of adults in Estes Park. The survey was available in English and Spanish, and participants had the option to submit their responses in a postage-paid return envelope or online.

Resident were asked their opinions on livability, safety, parks and recreational opportunities, mobility and traffic, housing, affordability, employment opportunities, the local economy, and shopping and commerce.

Ten key findings of the survey:

  1. Roughly 8 in 10 rated Estes Park positively as a place to retire, a statistically significant increase from 71% in 2023.
  2. About 9 in 10 rated the overall feeling of safety positively, which was higher than the national average.
  3. Fire services (90%) and police services (83%) received strong ratings.
  4. Roughly 9 in 10 respondents gave positive reviews to fitness and recreation opportunities.
  5. Residents provided above-average reviews for recreation programs or classes (81%) and centers or facilities (88%), and nearly all respondents praised the overall natural environment in Estes Park (96%).
  6. While Estes Park as a place to visit continued to receive high scores, only about two-thirds rated the overall economic health positively (65%), a significant decline from 2023.
  7. Fewer than 4 in 10 gave positive reviews to shopping opportunities (32%) and the variety of businesses/services (38%).
  8. Only about 12% of residents rated the cost of living in Estes Park positively.
  9. Community design-centered results may indicate concern about growth and affordability.
  10. Just 12% rated the availability of affordable quality housing positively, though this was a statistically significant increase from 6% in 2023.

Additionally, a custom question unique to Estes Park included in the survey asked residents whether service levels should be increased, decreased, or kept the same. Residents’ top three priorities for increased investment were:

  • Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements (50%)
  • Adding curb, gutter, and sidewalks with street reconstruction (51%)
  • Expanding public engagement for future Town project planning (51%)

To review the complete findings of the survey and read about the survey methods, click here.