Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012)

This article, the twenty-second in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Colorado based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, "places" are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 2,000.

Among the twenty best places to live in Colorado, seven comprise Boulder and its suburbs, five are suburbs of Denver, three are suburbs of Fort Collins, and five are resort towns. By county, five of the best places to live in Colorado are located in or partially in Boulder County, four in or partially in Weld County, three in Douglas County, two in Arapahoe County, two in Eagle County, two in Summit County, and one each in El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, and Routt Counties.

After reading "Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012)," return to this link to read "Largest Cities in Colorado (2012)." A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For the culmination of the 50-state series, read "Best Places to Live in America (2012)."

This article may be updated as new data becomes available.

1. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Cherry Hills Village, CO (Arapahoe County)

Population: 6,245

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $219,103
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 82.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.06

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 10 miles N
Boulder, CO: 38 miles NNW

2. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Greenwood Village, CO (Arapahoe County)

Population: 13,760

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $107,072
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 74.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 9.21

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 13 miles NNW
Boulder, CO: 42 miles NW

3. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Superior, CO (Boulder and Jefferson Counties)

Population: 10,528

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $86,589
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 69.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.45*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 21 miles SSE
Boulder, CO: 8 miles NW

4. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Lone Tree, CO (Douglas County)

Population: 9,085

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $97,567
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 62.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.79

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 19 miles NNW
Boulder, CO: 46 miles NNW

5. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Erie, CO (Boulder and Weld Counties)

Population: 15,297

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $90,731
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 54.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.81

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 28 miles S
Boulder, CO: 14 miles W

6. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Louisville, CO (Boulder County)

Population: 19,053

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $73,967
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 63.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.45

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 23 miles SSE
Boulder, CO: 10 miles NW

7. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Parker, CO (Douglas County)

Population: 43,748

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $82,344
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 45.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.55

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 24 miles NNW
Boulder, CO: 52 miles NNW
Colorado Springs, CO: 54 miles S

8. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Castle Rock, CO (Douglas County)

Population: 44,117

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $80,916
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 44.6%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.4

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 31 miles N
Boulder, CO: 57 miles NNW
Colorado Springs, CO: 40 miles S

9. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Silverthorne, CO (Summit County)

Population: 3,870

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $73,721
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.7

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 69 miles E
Vail, CO: 32 miles W

10. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Severance, CO (Weld County)

Population: 2,640

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $78,194
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.81*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 64 miles S
Fort Collins, CO: 17 miles WNW
Cheyenne, WY: 50 miles N

11. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Monument, CO (El Paso County)

Population: 4,537

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $88,456
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 8.23

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 53 miles N
Colorado Springs, CO: 19 miles S

12. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Vail, CO (Eagle County)

Population: 4,663

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $66,155
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 65.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 9.62

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 98 miles E

13. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Boulder, CO (Boulder County)

Population: 99,370

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $43,416
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 69.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 6.83

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 30 miles SE
Fort Collins, CO: 47 miles N

14. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Frisco, CO (Summit County)

Population: 2,612

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $66,716
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 49.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.03

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 72 miles E
Vail, CO: 27 miles WNW

15. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Mead, CO (Weld County)

Population: 3,090

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $91,683
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 30.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.81*

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Boulder, CO: 26 miles SW
Fort Collins, CO: 30 miles N

16. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Steamboat Springs, CO (Routt County)

Population: 11,700

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $67,160
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 59.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 8.47

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 156 miles SE
Vail, CO: 94 miles S

17. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Windsor, CO (Larimer and Weld Counties)

Population: 16,934

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $76,258
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.27

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 59 miles S
Boulder, CO: 48 miles SSW
Fort Collins, CO: 17 miles NW
Cheyenne, WY: 54 miles N

18. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Broomfield, CO (Broomfield County)

Population: 52,882

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $71,722
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 41.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.97

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 19 miles SSE
Boulder, CO: 13 miles NW

19. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Lafayette, CO (Boulder County)

Population: 25,631

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $61,903
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 49.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.96

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 24 miles SSE
Boulder, CO: 12 miles W

20. Best Places to Live in Colorado (2012) - Eagle, CO (Eagle County)

Population: 5,299

Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $62,559
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.52

Distance to Familiar Cities:

Denver, CO: 127 miles E
Vail, CO: 31 miles E

*In some cases, municipalities either do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with a county law enforcement agency or the state police. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from state, county, or contiguous municipality data.

Source(s):

"All Cities in Colorado," City-Data.com
"American Community Survey," U.S. Census Bureau
"American Fact Finder," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau of Investigation