Olathe, Colorado

Town in Montrose County · population 2,019 (2020 Census)

Median home: $245,600
Household income: $55,767
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 90°
Snow a year: 25 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 37.8

Olathe is a town of 2,019 people in Montrose County, Colorado. The median home is worth $245,600, below the typical Colorado town ($471,100). It ranks quieter than 76% of Colorado towns.

How Olathe ranks

Percentile among Colorado towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Colorado towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Olathe is worth $245,600, below the typical Colorado town ($471,100). Homes cost about 4.4 times the median household income of $55,767, which is more affordable than 71% of Colorado towns. Median rent is $967 a month. 63.7% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Colorado towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Olathe	Typical Colorado town
Median home value	$245,600	$471,100
Median rent	$967	$1,582
Median household income	$55,767	$86,246
Home value ÷ income	4.4×	5.1×
Homeownership	63.7%	72.7%
Median year built	1979	1982
Seasonal / vacation homes	3.9%	—

Who lives in Olathe

People	Olathe	Typical Colorado town
Median age	37.8	40.1
Age 65 and over	14.7%	16.9%
Under 18	20.1%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.6%	37.8%
Below the poverty line	25.5%	8.8%
Veterans	10.0%	—
Born outside the U.S.	21.4%	—
Work from home	16.9%	15.3%
Average commute	19.4 min	24.2 min
Homes with broadband	64.1%	92.9%

Weather in Olathe

July highs average 90.0°F and January lows 15.8°F. About 8.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 25.0 inches of snow (typical Colorado town: 47.4 in). Expect about 44 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 157 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Montrose Rgnl Ap station (8.5 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 2 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Olathe since 1950, compared with 11 for the typical Colorado town. The strongest, an F1, struck on May 6, 2005 about 1.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 6, 2005.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 1 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on May 11, 2020.

Severe weather in Montrose County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Montrose County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 32 deaths recorded.

Montrose County has been included in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, drought.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 28, 2020	Biological	DR-4498: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3436: Covid-19
September 5, 2005	Coastal Storm	EM-3224: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
July 15, 2002	Fire	FM-2442: Co - Burn Canyon Fire - 07/15/02
June 19, 2002	Fire	DR-1421: Wildfires

Jobs and pay in Montrose County

Montrose County had 17,014 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $52,650 a year. Unemployment was 3.3% in 2023; in Olathe itself the ACS puts it at 6%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Olathe

2 public schools with 929 students, about 17.5 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Olathe Middle/High School	6-12	497	15.5
Olathe Elementary School	PK-5	432	20.6

Towns near Olathe

Delta, CO
11.7 mi · 9,035 people · home $283,300
Montrose, CO
11.8 mi · 20,291 people · home $387,900
Orchard City, CO
14.5 mi · 3,142 people · home $324,300
Hotchkiss, CO
19.6 mi · 875 people · home $266,700
Cedaredge, CO
20.0 mi · 2,279 people · home $276,700
Paonia, CO
27.8 mi · 1,447 people · home $343,700

Olathe questions

Is Olathe, Colorado a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Olathe scores better for retirees than 53% of Colorado towns and quieter than 76%. 14.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 37.8).

How much does a house cost in Olathe?

The median owner-occupied home in Olathe is valued at $245,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $55,767, so homes cost about 4.4 times income. Median rent is $967 a month.

What is the weather like in Olathe?

July highs average 90.0°F and January lows 15.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 8.3 inches of precipitation a year and 25.0 inches of snow.

Does Olathe get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Olathe since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F1 on May 6, 2005. The typical Colorado town has had 11.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Olathe's Census boundary (GEOID 0855540). Comparisons use the median of Colorado towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.