Colorado Springs, CO (population: 388,306) has one cooking school within its city limits. Pikes Peak Community College has a total student population of 13,572. It is the 5175th highest ranked school in the USA and the 86th highest in the state of Colorado (#1 is Colorado College).
Cooking students from Colorado Springs schools who go on to become chefs, cooks, sous chefs, line cooks, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 94,300 people working as chefs and head cooks alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $44,240. Also, Cooks, private household make on average $27,720 per year and there are about 770 of them employed in the US today.
Colorado Springs lies in El Paso county, which is one of the 55 counties in Colorado. Overall, the Colorado Springs area has 246,560 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 1% unemployment rate, $21/hr average worker wage, and a $43,790 average annual salary.
After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Pikes Peak Community College ends up costing a student $9,506/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Colorado Springs |
| Castle Rock | CO | 49,815 | 0 | - | 0 | 36.3 miles |
| Pueblo | CO | 107,496 | 2 | 15.7548 | 107 | 41.5 miles |
| Parker | CO | 47,600 | 0 | - | 0 | 45.0 miles |
| Lone Tree | CO | - | 1 | 9.20591 | 39 | 47.3 miles |
| Highlands Ranch | CO | 129,817 | 0 | - | 0 | 49.0 miles |
| Greenwood Village | CO | - | 2 | 15.5036 | 87 | 53.4 miles |
| Aurora | CO | 334,924 | 11 | 27.59 | 204 | 58.8 miles |
| Lakewood | CO | 142,294 | 13 | 20.2254 | 326 | 61.1 miles |
| Denver | CO | 609,651 | 24 | 21.7296 | 554 | 63.2 miles |
| Commerce City | CO | 46,807 | 0 | - | 0 | 70.1 miles |
| Thornton | CO | 120,487 | 4 | 21.9949 | 44 | 72.0 miles |
| Westminster | CO | 109,334 | 7 | 21.6728 | 184 | 72.2 miles |
| Boulder | CO | 95,721 | 5 | 25.2105 | 131 | 85.1 miles |
| Longmont | CO | 88,962 | 0 | - | 0 | 92.5 miles |