Denver has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Denver without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Denver: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$250,001 median income · $1,678,181 median home price
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 0.3% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,678,181 each.
$191,229 median income · $895,088 median home price
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
Castle Pines is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Denver for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 3.4% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$191,229 median income · $895,088 median home price
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$159,434 median income · $833,348 median home price
Located in
Jefferson County, Colorado
Superior ranks as the 4th best suburb of Denver for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Superior and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$147,319 median income · $837,473 median home price
Located in
Boulder County, Colorado
Coming in as the fifth best is Louisville.
Louisville gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Denver area, where houses sell for an average of $837,473. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$173,349 median income · $725,091 median home price
Located in
Weld County, Colorado
Erie 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 3.1%.
According to online reports, Erie is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Denver area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$123,741 median income · $894,853 median home price
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Lone Tree.
Lone Tree 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 16.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$131,928 median income · $649,086 median home price
Located in
Arapahoe County, Colorado
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 3.8% of people lack insurance, good for 10th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$133,369 median income · $688,178 median home price
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
Is ‘Everything Better In Parker?’
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$145,197 median income · $672,107 median home price
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Castle Rock.
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.
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
Colorado statewide median: 4.6%
Colorado statewide median: 9.4%
On the map
Where the best Denver suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Denver for 2026
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 2020-2024 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 36 suburbs to evaluate around Denver.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 36 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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Denver suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Denver Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbine Valley | 4.86 | 2,047 | $250,001 | $1,678,181 |
| 2 | Castle Pines | 6.50 | 13,388 | $191,229 | $895,088 |
| 3 | Castle Pines | 6.50 | 13,388 | $191,229 | $895,088 |
| 4 | Superior | 7.29 | 13,305 | $159,434 | $833,348 |
| 5 | Louisville | 8.71 | 20,786 | $147,319 | $837,473 |
| 6 | Erie | 9.21 | 33,808 | $173,349 | $725,091 |
| 7 | Lone Tree | 11.79 | 14,147 | $123,741 | $894,853 |
| 8 | Centennial | 11.93 | 108,201 | $131,928 | $649,086 |
| 9 | Parker | 12.00 | 61,783 | $133,369 | $688,178 |
| 10 | Castle Rock | 14.00 | 79,123 | $145,197 | $672,107 |
| 11 | Frederick | 15.14 | 16,651 | $129,460 | $544,142 |
| 12 | Arvada | 15.21 | 122,634 | $117,348 | $616,566 |
| 13 | Lafayette | 15.29 | 30,602 | $119,040 | $676,851 |
| 14 | Golden | 15.64 | 20,417 | $98,582 | $863,815 |
| 15 | Broomfield | 15.79 | 76,304 | $123,874 | $632,201 |
| 16 | Littleton | 16.86 | 44,710 | $98,839 | $634,610 |
| 17 | Boulder | 17.00 | 106,433 | $87,493 | $964,531 |
| 18 | Dacono | 17.29 | 6,530 | $104,559 | $502,451 |
| 19 | Westminster | 19.00 | 115,484 | $100,272 | $527,654 |
| 20 | Firestone | 19.71 | 18,049 | $120,150 | $570,742 |
| 21 | Lakewood | 20.86 | 156,583 | $89,792 | $573,913 |
| 22 | Englewood | 20.86 | 34,129 | $86,800 | $516,657 |
| 23 | Thornton | 21.29 | 144,187 | $103,088 | $502,945 |
| 24 | Wheat Ridge | 21.29 | 32,070 | $90,564 | $606,404 |
| 25 | Bennett | 21.71 | 3,663 | $107,736 | $435,056 |
| 26 | Lochbuie | 21.86 | 8,609 | $97,009 | $464,474 |
| 27 | Glendale | 22.21 | 4,531 | $71,250 | $327,809 |
| 28 | Northglenn | 22.29 | 38,014 | $84,030 | $463,886 |
| 29 | Edgewater | 24.07 | 4,932 | $76,591 | $590,329 |
| 30 | Brighton | 25.21 | 42,059 | $107,679 | $498,701 |
| 31 | Commerce | 27.29 | 8,013 | $60,961 | $334,904 |
| 32 | Aurora | 27.93 | 394,432 | $88,368 | $463,081 |
| 33 | Hudson | 28.57 | 2,006 | $81,250 | $699,136 |
| 34 | Federal Heights | 30.43 | 14,125 | $56,597 | $399,108 |
| 35 | Sheridan | 30.57 | 6,005 | $60,608 | $436,932 |
| 36 | Fort Lupton | 31.57 | 8,897 | $80,889 | $464,448 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 36 suburbs within 30 miles of Denver.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Denver ‘Burbs of 2026
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 Columbine Valley, Castle Pines, Castle Pines, Superior, Louisville, Erie, Lone Tree, Centennial, Parker, and Castle Rock.
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. Not sold on Colorado? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Denver FAQs
What is the best suburb of Denver?
Columbine Valley is the best suburb of Denver for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Castle Pines and Castle Pines are next.
What are the best suburbs of Denver?
The best suburbs of Denver are Columbine Valley, Castle Pines, Castle Pines, Superior, Louisville, Erie, Lone Tree, Centennial, Parker, and Castle Rock. We ranked all 36 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Columbine Valley?
The median household income in Columbine Valley is $250,001 and the median home costs $1,678,181. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Denver?
Any place within 30 miles of Denver qualifies. 36 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Denver suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Columbine Valley, takes the crown.
