Arvada, CO — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Colorado·Arvada

Jefferson County · Denver-Aurora-Lakewood · population 121,873

ShrinkingRenter-friendly
Arvada, CO
Image: Wikipedia · Arvada, Colorado
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
46
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Arvada stands

Population shrinking 0.5% per year.

Median home $617,536
1-year -2.5%
5-yr CAGR +2.4%
vs 5-yr peak -6.7%
Population -0.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$618k$331k$450k$569k$688k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
58/100
Workable for remote workers
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,060/mo$1,559$1,898$2,237202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent113124100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 25.0
Lean rent

At a 25.0 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Arvada. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
37 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
49 · w22%
Distance from peak
55 · w18%
Population growth
37 · w16%
Rent YoY
36 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
65 · w10%
Long thesis

Arvada has held up across the cycle: home values at $617,536 with +2.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Arvada's population is shrinking 0.5% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Arvada

Arvada is a city in Jefferson County, Colorado, with an estimated population of 121,873. It anchors the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area. The population has contracted 0.5% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Arvada is $617,536 as of 2026-04, down 2.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.4% annual growth (-6.7% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Arvada average $2,060 per month, down 1.8% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 46 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

○The data is the data: Arvada has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 1-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Cooling: -2.5% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
●Flat or shrinking population: -0.5% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.

About Arvada (Wikipedia)

Arvada is a home rule city located in Jefferson and Adams counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 124,402 at the 2020 United States census, with 121,510 residing in Jefferson County and 2,892 in Adams County. Arvada is the seventh most populous city in Colorado. The city is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. The Olde Town Arvada historic district is 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorLauren Simpson (2023–)
Elevation5348 ft
Settled1859
Density3,197/sq mi
Named forHiram Arvada Haskin

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Arvada(Tourism and recreation)

  • Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
  • Cussler Museum rare automobile collection
  • Olde Town Arvada historic district
  • Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
  • Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Jefferson County right now.

NWS active alerts (CO)Colorado Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Jefferson County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Arvada

57 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Spring Mesa$1,333,111+0.7%
2Candlelight$1,070,744-1.3%
3Double E Ranch$874,261-1.8%
4West Woods Ranch$868,424+0.2%
5Wild Flower$858,971-1.8%
6Rainbow$838,154-2.3%
7Five Parks$795,024-1.9%
8Harvest$782,527-2.0%
9Lamplighter$781,483-0.8%
10Whisper Creek$772,988-2.8%
11Forest Springs$762,469+0.4%
12Shadow Mountain$756,034-0.2%
13Sierra Vista$753,254+0.4%
14Wyndham$737,470+0.2%
15Lakecrest Cape$722,781-2.8%
16Paradise Acres$721,655-0.3%
17Meadow Glen$704,091-1.3%
18Landing at Standley Lake$690,646-2.6%
19Scenic Heights$688,982-1.8%
20Arvada Center$686,965-4.7%
21Skyline$665,830-2.5%
22Ralston Valley$650,946-1.9%
23Ralston Estates West$643,910-2.2%
24Van Arsdale$634,271-2.5%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Arvada

Lakewood, CO47 · CoolingWestminster, CO45 · CoolingCentennial, CO48 · StableLongmont, CO47 · Cooling

Run the numbers for Arvada

ToolCan I afford Arvada?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Arvada rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Arvada to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolArvada cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
43° / 16°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
86° / 56°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
245
~67% of year
Annual precip
17″ rain
55″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Moderate
Wildfire
High
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Arvada listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
54%
Dry climate
Median household income
$87,600
Colorado state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechAerospaceHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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