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Elevation

Elevation of Fort Collins

5,004ft

above sea level · 1,525 m

Fort Collins is a city in Colorado with 171,500 people, the 4th most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 7th highest.

By the Mapsfera Team

Elevation profile

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Place facts

Coordinates
40.59° N · 105.08° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 40° 35′ 7″ N · 105° 5′ 4″ W
UTM coordinates
13T · 492,856 E · 4,492,722 N
Zone 13 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
Larimer County
Where the city’s reference point falls
State
Colorado
CO · capital: Denver
Time zone
Mountain Time
UTC−7 · UTC−6 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
171,500 people
57.2 sq mi of land · 2,996 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from April 2014: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Fort Collins had 171,500 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 1.0% more than in April 2020, when it had 169,780. Its 57.2 sq mi of land work out to 2,996 people/sq mi; the state average is 58 people/sq mi.

It’s the 4th most populous of the 482 places the Census counts in Colorado (cities, towns and CDPs), after Denver (740,613), and holds 2.9% of the state’s population.

It lies entirely within Larimer County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 2.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.

Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Fort Collins sits at 5,004 ft (1,525 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Fort Collins is 4,142 ft above it.

The state capital, Denver, is 59 mi away in a straight line and 272 ft higher than Fort Collins.

Of the 12 cities in Colorado with a page, Fort Collins is the 4th lowest: the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is Greeley (4,674 ft).

The highest point in Colorado is Mount Elbert, at 14,433 ft according to the USGS: 9,429 ft above Fort Collins, 124 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 5 Boulder 5,319 ft
  2. 6 Rio Rancho 5,277 ft
  3. 7 Fort Collins 5,004 ft
  4. 8 Longmont 4,980 ft
  5. 9 Pueblo 4,693 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Fort Collins and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Fort Collins with any other point on the map. Map of Larimer County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Fort Collins and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of Colorado counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Fort Collins.

What is the elevation of Fort Collins?

Fort Collins is 5,004 feet (1,525 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Fort Collins?

Latitude 40.58526 and longitude -105.08442, in decimal degrees (40° 35′ 7″ N · 105° 5′ 4″ W). In UTM, zone 13: 492,856 E and 4,492,722 N, on NAD83.

How does Fort Collins rank among the highest US cities of its size?

It’s the 7th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).

What county is Fort Collins in?

Larimer County, Colorado.

Which is higher, Fort Collins or Denver?

Denver. Fort Collins sits at 5,004 ft and Denver at 5,276 ft: a difference of 272 ft, 59 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know