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

All states·Colorado·Thornton

Adams County · Denver-Aurora-Lakewood · population 146,689

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Thornton, CO
Image: Wikipedia · Thornton, Colorado
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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48
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Thornton stands

Home values down 3.3% in the last year.

Median home $505,085
1-year -3.3%
5-yr CAGR +2.5%
vs 5-yr peak -8.1%
Population +0.8%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-07$505k$277k$375k$474k$572k201620182020202220242026

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
76/100
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
$1,875/mo$1,504$1,802$2,099202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent113117100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 22.4
Lean rent

At a 22.4 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Thornton. 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
33 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
50 · w22%
Distance from peak
51 · w18%
Population growth
62 · w16%
Rent YoY
37 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
64 · w10%
Long thesis

Thornton has held up across the cycle: home values at $505,085 with +2.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Thornton's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Thornton

Thornton is a city in Adams County, Colorado, with an estimated population of 146,689. It anchors the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area. The population grew 0.8% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Thornton is $505,085 as of 2026-04, down 3.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.5% annual growth (-8.1% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Thornton average $1,875 per month, down 1.6% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 48 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

○The data is the data: Thornton 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: -3.3% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Thornton (Wikipedia)

Thornton is a home rule city located in Adams and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 141,867, all in Adams County, at the 2020 United States census, an increase of 19.44% since the 2010 United States census. Thornton is the sixth-most-populous city in Colorado and the 191st-most-populous city in the United States. Thornton is 10 miles (16 km) north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver and is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Greeley, CO Combined Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.

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

City facts

MayorJanifer "Jan" Kulmann (Since 2019)
Elevation5348 ft
Density3,949/sq mi
Named forDaniel I.J. Thornton

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

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

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

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

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

Neighborhoods of Thornton

72 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Lewis Pointe$768,219-2.8%
2Heritage Todd Creek$729,476-1.8%
3King Ranch Estates$707,504-3.6%
4Marshall Lake$702,231-2.1%
5Morrison$700,849-2.2%
6Homestead Hills$683,702-3.7%
7The Haven at York St$680,411-3.0%
8Cundall Farms$679,524-3.3%
9Amber Creek$651,924-2.8%
10Fallbrook Farms$650,401-4.5%
11Quebec Highlands$646,485-3.7%
12Burgandy$641,384-1.9%
13Quail Valley$628,915-2.0%
14North Creek Farms$623,067-3.1%
15Signal Creek$621,366-3.1%
16Quebec Run$610,928-1.8%
17Northbrook$609,911-3.3%
18Villages at Riverdale$603,852-1.5%
19Notts Landing$591,928-3.4%
20Riverdale Heights$588,285-2.8%
21Hunters Glen$586,690-3.1%
22Ash Grove Farm$582,911-2.6%
23Springvale$582,183-3.8%
24Holly Point$571,075-2.6%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Thornton

Longmont, CO47 · CoolingLakewood, CO47 · CoolingCentennial, CO48 · StableWestminster, CO45 · Cooling

Run the numbers for Thornton

ToolCan I afford Thornton?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Thornton rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Thornton to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolThornton 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 Thornton 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.

Cities similar to Thornton

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