If you’re looking for a safe place for your family to live, you can stop the search: The Centennial State is one of the most family friendly states in America. There are great family friendly Colorado places around every corner in this Rocky Mountain paradise, and HomeSnacks is here to give you the ultimate guide: we’ve broken down the best places to raise a family in Colorado for 2026 and the top ten list is below.
How did we determine Colorado’s most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in Colorado with more than 10,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 42 family friendly Colorado places. This is also our second time ranking Colorado’s most family friendly cities, so trust us when we say that any family would be lucky to call one of Colorado’s best places to raise a family home.
It’s a known fact that many families visit Colorado on vacation and end up staying. This is because the state has Blue Ribbon elementary schools, gold star high schools, cutting edge universities, good jobs, and tons of staycation possibilities for families on a budget.
And speaking of budgets, there are family friendly places in Colorado for all types of budgets. There are places like Greeley for the family that loves spending time outside, places like Fort Collins for families just starting out, and places like Durango for families who can afford to live in the most expensive places in Colorado.
So, want to see a list of Colorado’s best places for families? Read on.
$147,319 median income · 35.3% households with kids
Located in
Boulder County, Colorado
Louisville Colorado is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 18,376 at the 2010 United States Census. Louisville began as a rough mining community in 1877, suffered through a period of extraordinary labor violence early in the 20th century, and then, when the mines closed in the 1950s, made a transition to a suburban residential community. CNN/Money and Money magazine have consistently listed Louisville as one of the 100 best places to live in the United States, ranking it among the top 100 in 2007, 2009 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$145,197 median income · 42.0% households with kids
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
Castle Rock is an affluent home rule municipality that is the county seat of Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The most populous municipality of the county, the community’s population was 48,231 at the 2010 United States Census, with an estimated population of 55,747 as of 2014. It is named for the prominent, castle tower-shaped butte near the center of town. Located midway between Denver and Colorado Springs, Castle Rock is part of the Denver Metropolitan Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$173,349 median income · 44.2% households with kids
Located in
Weld County, Colorado
The Town of Erie is a Statutory Town in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The population as of the 2010 census was 18,135, up from 6,291 at the 2000 census. Erie is located just west of Interstate 25, with easy access to Interstate 70, Denver International Airport and Colorado’s entire Front Range. Erie’s Planning Area spans 48 square miles, extending from the north side of State Highway 52 south to State Highway 7, and between US 287 on the west and Interstate 25 to the east. Erie is approximately 35 minutes from Denver International Airport, 25 minutes from Denver and 20 minutes from Boulder.
The town was named after Erie, Pennsylvania, the former home of an early settler, Richard Van Valkenburg.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$127,028 median income · 33.4% households with kids
Located in
Weld County, Colorado
The Town of Windsor is a Home Rule Municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to June 2016 estimates, the population of the town was 24,500. Windsor is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Windsor is situated 59 miles north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$98,839 median income · 21.6% households with kids
Located in
Jefferson County, Colorado
Littleton is the Home Rule Municipality in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties that is the county seat of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city population was 41,737 at the 2010 United States Census, ranking as the 20th most populous municipality in the State of Colorado.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$131,928 median income · 32.9% households with kids
Located in
Arapahoe County, Colorado
The City of Centennial is a Home Rule Municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 100,377 at the 2010 United States Census. Centennial is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Centennial is the tenth most populous municipality in the state of Colorado and its 2001 city incorporation was the largest in U.S. history. Centennial is ranked as the 15th-safest city in the country.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,874 median income · 26.1% households with kids
Located in
Broomfield County, Colorado
Broomfield, officially the City and County of Broomfield is a consolidated city and county in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The population was 55,889 at the 2010 United States Census. Broomfield is the 16th most populous municipality and the 13th most populous county in Colorado.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$119,040 median income · 30.0% households with kids
Located in
Boulder County, Colorado
The City of Lafayette is a Home Rule Municipality located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 24,453 at the 2010 United States Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$133,369 median income · 41.4% households with kids
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
Parker is a home rule municipality in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. As a self-declared “Town” under the Home Rule statutes, Parker is the second most populous town in the county; Castle Rock is the most populous. In recent years, Parker has become a commuter town at the southeasternmost corner of the Denver Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census the town population was 45,297; the estimated population in 2014 was 49,857. Parker is now the 19th most populous municipality in the state of Colorado.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,460 median income · 43.8% households with kids
Located in
Weld County, Colorado
The Town of Frederick is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 8679 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Colorado’s statewide median.
Colorado statewide median: $95,470
Colorado statewide median: $541,842
On the map
Where Colorado’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Colorado anyways?
To give you the places in Colorado that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of Colorado, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Colorado, that meant a total of 42 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in Colorado.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In Colorado
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville | 20,786 | $147,319 | $837,473 | 35.3% |
| 2 | Castle Rock | 79,123 | $145,197 | $672,107 | 42.0% |
| 3 | Erie | 33,808 | $173,349 | $725,091 | 44.2% |
| 4 | Windsor | 37,914 | $127,028 | $577,243 | 33.4% |
| 5 | Littleton | 44,710 | $98,839 | $634,610 | 21.6% |
| 6 | Centennial | 108,201 | $131,928 | $649,086 | 32.9% |
| 7 | Broomfield | 76,304 | $123,874 | $632,201 | 26.1% |
| 8 | Lafayette | 30,602 | $119,040 | $676,851 | 30.0% |
| 9 | Parker | 61,783 | $133,369 | $688,178 | 41.4% |
| 10 | Frederick | 16,651 | $129,460 | $544,142 | 43.8% |
| 11 | Monument | 11,735 | $128,816 | $755,938 | 41.9% |
| 12 | Steamboat Springs | 13,433 | $104,964 | $1,310,883 | 24.6% |
| 13 | Thornton | 144,187 | $103,088 | $502,945 | 36.6% |
| 14 | Boulder | 106,433 | $87,493 | $964,531 | 17.0% |
| 15 | Golden | 20,417 | $98,582 | $863,815 | 26.2% |
| 16 | Severance | 10,130 | $124,572 | $495,599 | 47.5% |
| 17 | Fort Collins | 170,229 | $85,070 | $563,815 | 22.5% |
| 18 | Westminster | 115,484 | $100,272 | $527,654 | 26.1% |
| 19 | Firestone | 18,049 | $120,150 | $570,742 | 41.2% |
| 20 | Rifle | 10,570 | $80,000 | $497,317 | 39.1% |
| 21 | Denver | 718,877 | $94,718 | $539,666 | 21.6% |
| 22 | Arvada | 122,634 | $117,348 | $616,566 | 28.8% |
| 23 | Fort Morgan | 11,605 | $64,158 | $328,288 | 41.9% |
| 24 | Englewood | 34,129 | $86,800 | $516,657 | 16.9% |
| 25 | Montrose | 21,044 | $70,386 | $467,131 | 22.5% |
| 26 | Lakewood | 156,583 | $89,792 | $573,913 | 21.8% |
| 27 | Fountain | 29,300 | $86,242 | $394,609 | 41.5% |
| 28 | Greeley | 110,806 | $69,881 | $420,464 | 34.6% |
| 29 | Colorado Springs | 487,887 | $84,818 | $449,452 | 28.9% |
| 30 | Fruita | 13,691 | $87,184 | $480,864 | 34.7% |
| 31 | Sterling | 13,172 | $43,283 | $244,759 | 24.1% |
| 32 | Longmont | 99,406 | $90,671 | $556,720 | 24.6% |
| 33 | Loveland | 78,410 | $84,604 | $500,792 | 24.3% |
| 34 | Lone Tree | 14,147 | $123,741 | $894,853 | 21.8% |
| 35 | Brighton | 42,059 | $107,679 | $498,701 | 39.8% |
| 36 | Aurora | 394,432 | $88,368 | $463,081 | 33.2% |
| 37 | Grand Junction | 68,142 | $70,080 | $422,320 | 22.2% |
| 38 | Pueblo | 111,561 | $56,664 | $283,603 | 27.6% |
| 39 | Evans | 22,396 | $75,563 | $394,719 | 42.5% |
| 40 | Glenwood Springs | 10,241 | $91,481 | $869,621 | 28.4% |
| 41 | Northglenn | 38,014 | $84,030 | $463,886 | 28.4% |
| 42 | Wheat Ridge | 32,070 | $90,564 | $606,404 | 20.5% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 42 Colorado cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Colorado
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Colorado ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in Colorado are Louisville, Castle Rock, Erie, Windsor, Littleton, Centennial, Broomfield, Lafayette, Parker, and Frederick.
