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

All states·Colorado·Denver

Why look at Denver?

  • Mid-tier housing market. Median home is $542k.
  • Stable market. Home values -4.2% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
  • Growing population. ~0.5%/yr — typically signals jobs + investment.
Denver, CO
Image: Wikipedia · Denver
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
41
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Denver stands

Home values down 4.2% in the last year.

Median home $541,899
1-year -4.2%
5-yr growth +1.1%
vs 5-yr peak -12.0%
Population +0.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-06$542k$331k$434k$537k$640k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
62/100
Good transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
66/100
Strong remote-work fit
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
$1,846/mo$1,513$1,783$2,054202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent106115100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 24.5
Lean rent

At a 24.5 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Denver. Buying makes more sense the longer you plan to stay and the more confident you are that prices will keep appreciating roughly in line with rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
29 · w22%
Home 5-yr growth
42 · w22%
Distance from peak
39 · w18%
Population growth
54 · w16%
Rent YoY
37 · w12%
Home 10-yr growth
56 · w10%

About Denver (Wikipedia)

Denver is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Officially a consolidated city and county, it is located in the South Platte River valley on the western edge of the High Plains, and is just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains (Rockies). Denver is the 19th-most populous city in the United States and the fifth-most populous state capital, with a population of 715,522 at the 2020 census. The ten-county Denver metropolitan area, with 3.1 million residents, is the 19th-largest metropolitan area in the country and functions as the economic and cultural center of the broader Front Range Urban Corridor.

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

City facts

MayorMike Johnston (D)
Elevation5280 ft
Density4,674/sq mi
Named forJames W. Denver

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

Local safety & alerts

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

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

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

Neighborhoods of Denver

76 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Country Club$1,641,219-0.2%
2Hilltop$1,540,438+0.5%
3Belcaro$1,491,905+0.3%
4Washington Park$1,255,334+2.0%
5Cherry Creek$1,231,468-0.1%
6Wellshire$1,211,078+2.2%
7University Park$1,020,950-2.2%
8South Park Hill$947,607+0.5%
9Cory – Merrill$926,746-2.3%
10Washington Park West$887,433-2.0%
11Platt Park$839,444-1.6%
12Sloan Lake$815,640-3.4%
13West Highland$792,797-3.5%
14Congress Park$786,668-0.7%
15Berkeley$778,262-4.4%
16Central Park$766,654-3.9%
17Lowry Field$749,982-1.6%
18City Park$730,371-0.4%
19Highland$726,456-5.8%
20Auraria$693,136-0.9%
21Southmoor Park$685,344-2.0%
22Rosedale$675,014-3.4%
23University$673,430-3.1%
24Montclair$669,097-2.5%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Run the numbers for Denver

ToolCan I afford Denver?Income → city shortlistToolCompare Denver to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolDenver cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Colorado context

Schools

236 public schools99,055 students15.0:1 student-teacher

Denver is served by 236 public schools enrolling about 99,055 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 15.0:1 — about the same as the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.

Ratings, districts & boundaries:

NCES school directory →School ratings →Colorado report card →

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 Denver listings on the major real-estate sites.

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

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Denver-specific coverage. 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.

Find more cities like Denver

Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Denver’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.

Find more like Denver →

Cities similar to Denver

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Colorado cities →    Browse best-of lists →

Cost-of-ownership at the median

Tax burden
moderate state tax
~29% all-in for a $150k earner
Property tax / yr
$3k
0.51% × median home $542k
Climate / hazard
limited data
Plan for the local hazard profile.

Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.

Schools & crime context

Schools

School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.

Crime

Colorado: 492 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.

Compare to where you live now

Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.

Getting here by train

Denver is served by an Amtrak train station — Union Station. Use the map to find it, and open its Google profile for photos, hours, and reviews.

📍 1701 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80202Station code DENStation Building (with waiting room)

View Union Station on Google Maps →

Jobs & hiring

In Denver, unemployment sits around 4.9%, and hiring momentum has been modest. The strongest local sectors are tech, healthcare and remote-friendly roles.

4.9% unemployment34/100 hiring momentum$94,718 median household income53/100 remote-work fit

Search current openings:

Indeed →LinkedIn →Google Jobs →ZipRecruiter →USAJOBS (federal) →

See it on video

Get a feel for Denver before you visit — recent video tours and neighborhood walk-throughs from YouTube.

Browse Denver videos on YouTube →