Best places to live in Colorado (2026)

All 19 ranked places in Colorado, by all-round score. 5 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Arvada, COSuburb · 3-bed $561k · safe80
2. 2Parker, COSuburb · 3-bed $595k · very safe78
3. 3Broomfield, COSuburb · 3-bed $557k · very safe78
4. 4Littleton, COSuburb · 3-bed $576k · very safe77
5. 5Thornton, COSuburb · 3-bed $467k · safe76
6. 6Westminster, COSuburb · 3-bed $496k · safe76
7. 7Castle Rock, COSuburb · 3-bed $579k · very safe75
8. 8Denver, COBig city · 3-bed $556k · higher crime72
9. 9Boulder, COCollege town · 3-bed $964k · safe72
10. 10Aurora, COBig city · 3-bed $446k · moderate crime70
11. 11Commerce City, COSuburb · 3-bed $463k · moderate crime68
12. 12Longmont, COSuburb · 3-bed $510k · safe68
13. 13Brighton, COSuburb · 3-bed $470k · safe66
14. 14Colorado Springs, COBig city · 3-bed $399k · moderate crime66
15. 15Loveland, COSuburb · 3-bed $470k · safe62
16. 16Fort Collins, COMid-size city · 3-bed $527k · very safe61
17. 17Grand Junction, COSmall city · 3-bed $409k · safe54
18. 18Greeley, COMid-size city · 3-bed $396k · safe54
19. 19Durango, COSmall town · 3-bed $821k · safe52

Cheapest places to live in Colorado

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Pueblo, COMid-size city · rent $1,620/mo · cost of living 92$296k
2. 2Greeley, COMid-size city · rent $2,170/mo · cost of living 100$396k
3. 3Colorado Springs, COBig city · rent $2,410/mo · cost of living 101$399k
4. 4Grand Junction, COSmall city · rent $1,740/mo · cost of living 95$409k
5. 5Aurora, COBig city · rent $2,730/mo · cost of living 106$446k

Safest places to live in Colorado

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Castle Rock, COSuburb · violent crime 0.1× the US rate45 per 100k
2. 2Littleton, COSuburb · violent crime 0.2× the US rate88 per 100k
3. 3Parker, COSuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate96 per 100k
4. 4Broomfield, COSuburb · violent crime 0.3× the US rate106 per 100k
5. 5Fort Collins, COMid-size city · violent crime 0.6× the US rate217 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Colorado

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Grand Junction, CO1 declared disaster since 2000 · mainly flooding, earthquakes98
2. 2Broomfield, CO0 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hail92
3. 3Highlands Ranch, CO2 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes92
4. 4Aurora, CO3 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly hail, flooding89
5. 5Castle Rock, CO2 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, wildfires89

Best places to live for families in Colorado

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Parker, COSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $595k78
2. 2Broomfield, COSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $557k76
3. 3Castle Rock, COSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $579k76
4. 4Arvada, COSuburb · kids excellent · safety good · 3-bed $561k74
5. 5Littleton, COSuburb · kids good · safety excellent · 3-bed $576k71

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.