Sources
What are the economic realities of living in Steamboat in the service industry?
- Steamboat Pilot, "Needs assessment reaffirms Steamboat Springs housing crisis" (Julia Coccaro, June 16, 2026): 2025 median home price, median household income, affordable price at that income, cost-burden shares, units needed
https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/steamboat-springs-housing-crisis-needs-assessment-2026/ - Yampa Valley Housing Authority, Area Median Income (table effective May 1, 2026)
https://yvha.org/area-median-income-ami/ - Yampa Valley Housing Authority, Affordable Housing Crisis
https://yvha.org/affordable-housing-crisis/ - Economic & Planning Systems for YVHA, Housing Demand Initial Assessment (PDF)
https://rcedp.org/hubfs/Housing%20Needs%20Assesments/YVHA-Housing-Demand-Initial-Assessment.pdf - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, 49-9021 Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (national page with state and area links)
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes499021.htm - O*NET OnLine, Colorado wages for 49-9021 including the Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area (BLS May 2025 data)
https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/49-9021.00?st=CO
Assumptions behind the illustration: a purchase price of $1.3 million, a twenty percent down payment, a fixed rate of 6.6 percent, a thirty-year term, and a 28 percent front-end ratio (housing payment as a share of gross household income). The payment is principal and interest only; property taxes, insurance and association dues are excluded. The figure illustrates the gap between prices and wages. It is not a lending quote.