While big cities like Denver offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Denver. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Denver without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Denver are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Denver area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Denver for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Denver? Columbine Valley ranks as the best suburb of Denver for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Columbine Valley, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Denver ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Colorado:
The 10 Best Denver Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 2,084
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 0.4%
Poverty Rate: 0.1%
More on Columbine Valley: Data
Columbine Valley is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Denver area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Columbine Valley.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the highest in the Denver region. And only 0.44% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,408,700 each.
/10
Population: 12,573
Median Income: $189,918
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Castle Pines: Data
Castle Pines is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Denver for 2025.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 3.59% of residents lack insurance, good for 7th best.
/10
Population: 12,573
Median Income: $189,918
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Castle Pines: Data
Here in Castle Pines, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Denver metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Castle Pines.
/10
Population: 12,573
Median Income: $189,918
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Castle Pines: Data
Castle Pines ranks as the 4th best suburb of Denver for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Castle Pines and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 12,573
Median Income: $189,918
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Castle Pines: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Castle Pines.
Castle Pines gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the Denver area, where houses sell for an average of $827,900. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 13,136
Median Income: $157,909
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Superior: Data
Superior is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.98%.
According to online reports, Superior is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Denver area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 20,788
Median Income: $149,159
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Louisville: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Louisville.
Louisville schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 20.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 107,386
Median Income: $128,167
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Centennial: Data
Centennial is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.82% of people lack insurance, good for 9th in the area.
/10
Population: 14,136
Median Income: $125,699
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Lone Tree: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Lone Tree?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 31,927
Median Income: $163,644
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.0%
More on Erie: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Erie.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Denver for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Denver was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Denver.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 37 suburbs to evaluate around Denver.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 37 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Denver.” We’re lookin’ at you, Columbine Valley.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Denver suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Denver ‘Burbs of 2025
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Denver are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Denver but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Colorado reading, check out:
Table: Best Denver Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbine Valley, CO | 2,084 | $250,001 | $1,408,700 |
| 2 | Castle Pines, CO | 12,573 | $189,918 | $827,900 |
| 3 | Castle Pines, CO | 12,573 | $189,918 | $827,900 |
| 4 | Castle Pines, CO | 12,573 | $189,918 | $827,900 |
| 5 | Castle Pines, CO | 12,573 | $189,918 | $827,900 |
| 6 | Superior, CO | 13,136 | $157,909 | $795,500 |
| 7 | Louisville, CO | 20,788 | $149,159 | $835,000 |
| 8 | Centennial, CO | 107,386 | $128,167 | $626,700 |
| 9 | Lone Tree, CO | 14,136 | $125,699 | $819,800 |
| 10 | Erie, CO | 31,927 | $163,644 | $685,900 |
| 11 | Parker, CO | 60,115 | $129,342 | $613,200 |
| 12 | Castle Rock, CO | 76,614 | $143,031 | $621,700 |
| 13 | Frederick, CO | 15,893 | $135,316 | $529,800 |
| 14 | Broomfield, CO | 75,110 | $121,025 | $631,600 |
| 15 | Lafayette, CO | 30,471 | $110,431 | $647,600 |
| 16 | Arvada, CO | 122,835 | $113,396 | $600,800 |
| 17 | Boulder, CO | 106,274 | $85,364 | $982,600 |
| 18 | Golden, CO | 20,467 | $95,913 | $790,500 |
| 19 | Littleton, CO | 45,092 | $96,611 | $596,700 |
| 20 | Westminster, CO | 115,546 | $96,145 | $497,400 |
| 21 | Firestone, CO | 17,353 | $114,591 | $511,800 |
| 22 | Englewood, CO | 33,774 | $82,016 | $534,000 |
| 23 | Lakewood, CO | 156,309 | $85,789 | $548,200 |
| 24 | Dacono, CO | 6,419 | $99,389 | $448,200 |
| 25 | Lochbuie, CO | 8,142 | $88,548 | $373,800 |
| 26 | Wheat Ridge, CO | 32,158 | $87,598 | $584,700 |
| 27 | Glendale, CO | 4,546 | $68,952 | $398,800 |
| 28 | Thornton, CO | 142,878 | $100,985 | $482,200 |
| 29 | Edgewater, CO | 4,955 | $74,320 | $603,400 |
| 30 | Brighton, CO | 41,196 | $100,134 | $475,100 |
| 31 | Northglenn, CO | 37,953 | $79,530 | $440,900 |
| 32 | Bennett, CO | 3,472 | $92,450 | $426,500 |
| 33 | Commerce, CO | 7,684 | $61,286 | $233,900 |
| 34 | Aurora, CO | 390,201 | $84,320 | $444,500 |
| 35 | Federal Heights, CO | 14,160 | $57,957 | $91,300 |
| 36 | Sheridan, CO | 6,031 | $58,571 | $360,900 |
| 37 | Fort Lupton, CO | 8,494 | $64,850 | $372,400 |