Are Income Limits Undermining Affordable Housing in Colorado’s Mountain Towns?
In Colorado’s high-country communities, a deepening housing crisis is forcing workers and families to make impossible choices. The federal Area Median Income (AMI) system, long used to set eligibility and pricing for affordable housing, is under scrutiny for failing to reflect the true economic realities of resort towns. As income figures skew higher due to extreme wealth disparities, many essential workers are finding themselves caught between earning too little to buy and too much to qualify for help.
Key Points
Families like Spencer and Camille Messer in Eagle County risk losing affordable housing eligibility if their income rises by just 2.5%.
Local leaders argue that AMI data—distorted by wealthy residents and fluctuating seasonal income—doesn’t represent the real middle class in mountain towns.
Housing providers say strict income limits make it harder to fill units and often produce homes that aren’t truly affordable.
Resort areas such as Aspen and Vail are exploring new funding models and local tax measures to build housing that fits a broader range of workers.
As the cost of mountain living continues to climb, Colorado’s resort towns are rethinking how they measure affordability. Relying on outdated income formulas could leave vital members of these communities without a place to call home.
By: Robert Tann | The Aspen Times | October 29, 2025
Photo: Ben Roof/Special to the Vail Daily