A broad county look at closed-sale medians
Redfin's public county series separates transaction medians from modeled home values.
There is a useful distinction between a modeled typical home value and the middle price among homes that closed in a month. This study uses the latter. Redfin's county market tracker reports median sale price for its all-residential county records, which lets us compare May 2019 with May 2026 for Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield counties. The result belongs in a different category from Zillow Home Value Index, and the two should not be presented as if they were interchangeable.
For Pitkin County, Redfin's May 2026 median closed-sale price was $2,240,000, compared with $1,250,000 in May 2019. Eagle and Garfield County figures are included in the table. These are broad county numbers. Pitkin County is not Aspen alone, Eagle County is not Basalt alone, and Garfield County is not just Carbondale or Glenwood Springs. The geographic label is part of the finding, not a footnote.
A median transaction price can shift because the homes sold that month changed, even when values for similar homes did not move in the same way. In a small or high-end segment, a few sales can make that composition effect especially important. That is why this report uses the term median closed-sale price and does not call it an average property value, appreciation rate, or a price target.
For someone planning a move, the county trend can provide a broad reference for how reported transaction medians have changed over a seven-year, same-month comparison. It cannot identify the current fair value of a home in a particular neighborhood. A buyer should still review active supply and recent like-for-like closings. A seller should still begin with a local comparative market analysis that accounts for condition, site, and competing inventory.
The method is reproducible. We retained Redfin's public county archive, selected 30-day, non-seasonally-adjusted, all-residential rows for the three named counties, and compared the May 2019 and May 2026 median-sale-price fields. The published CSV contains those six inputs and the resulting percentage changes. The chart displays the latest levels so readers can see why a percentage-only comparison is incomplete.
The series is public provider data and may be revised. It does not provide a city-level median, an individual property valuation, a forecast, or a causal explanation. County price comparisons should remain clearly flagged as broad context whenever they appear beside Aspen-area city research.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an Aspen-only sale-price statistic?
No. It covers all residential sales reported across broad Pitkin County.
Why use May in both years?
Using the same calendar month reduces a simple seasonal mismatch.
Is it comparable to ZHVI?
No. This is a median among reported closed sales, while ZHVI is a modeled typical value.
View the full study, method, limitations, and aggregate data download.
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