Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Colorado? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Colorado, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Colorado suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$147,319 median income · $837,473 median home price
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
$173,349 median income · $725,091 median home price
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
$159,434 median income · $833,348 median home price
Located in
Jefferson County, Colorado
Superior is a Statutory Town in Boulder County in the U.S. state of Colorado, with a small, uninhabited segment of land area extending into Jefferson County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city was 12,483.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$131,928 median income · $649,086 median home price
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
$191,229 median income · $895,088 median home price
Located in
Douglas County, Colorado
The City of Castle Pines is statutory city located in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 10,360. By 2013, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population to have increased to 10,726. The city is situated 19 miles south-southeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The city is located north of the Town of Castle Rock and south of the City of Lone Tree, Colorado.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$133,369 median income · $688,178 median home price
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
$145,197 median income · $672,107 median home price
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
$98,582 median income · $863,815 median home price
Located in
Jefferson County, Colorado
Golden is the Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was originally named Golden City in honor of Thomas L. Golden. Golden City served as the capital of the provisional Territory of Jefferson from 1860 to 1861, and capital of the official Territory of Colorado from 1862 to 1867. In 1867, the territorial capital was moved about 12 miles east to Denver City. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 18,867 in 2010.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$129,460 median income · $544,142 median home price
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
$128,816 median income · $755,938 median home price
Located in
El Paso County, Colorado
The Town of Monument is a statutory town situated at the base of the Rampart Range in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Monument is bordered by Pike National Forest on the west, Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy to the south, foothills and rock outcroppings to the north, and rolling plains to the east. Monument was first settled as a stop along the Rio Grande Railroad in 1872, and the area was incorporated as a town called Henry’s Station in 1879, but the name was later changed to Monument. The town population was 5,530 at the 2010 United States Census, an increase of 181% from the population of 1,971 in 2000.
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 best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Centennial State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Colorado. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Colorado, we looked at every town with at least 6,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Colorado across these criteria from one to 32, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Colorado.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Colorado.
Read on to see why Louisville is the ‘burb with the most, while Sheridan is probably not the best place to live in Colorado.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Colorado
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville | 20,786 | $147,319 | $837,473 |
| 2 | Erie | 33,808 | $173,349 | $725,091 |
| 3 | Superior | 13,305 | $159,434 | $833,348 |
| 4 | Centennial | 108,201 | $131,928 | $649,086 |
| 5 | Castle Pines | 13,388 | $191,229 | $895,088 |
| 6 | Parker | 61,783 | $133,369 | $688,178 |
| 7 | Castle Rock | 79,123 | $145,197 | $672,107 |
| 8 | Golden | 20,417 | $98,582 | $863,815 |
| 9 | Frederick | 16,651 | $129,460 | $544,142 |
| 10 | Monument | 11,735 | $128,816 | $755,938 |
| 11 | Broomfield | 76,304 | $123,874 | $632,201 |
| 12 | Lone Tree | 14,147 | $123,741 | $894,853 |
| 13 | Lafayette | 30,602 | $119,040 | $676,851 |
| 14 | Woodland Park | 7,949 | $99,238 | $534,082 |
| 15 | Arvada | 122,634 | $117,348 | $616,566 |
| 16 | Dacono | 6,530 | $104,559 | $502,451 |
| 17 | Littleton | 44,710 | $98,839 | $634,610 |
| 17 | Boulder | 106,433 | $87,493 | $964,531 |
| 19 | Firestone | 18,049 | $120,150 | $570,742 |
| 20 | Westminster | 115,484 | $100,272 | $527,654 |
| 21 | Lochbuie | 8,609 | $97,009 | $464,474 |
| 22 | Longmont | 99,406 | $90,671 | $556,720 |
| 23 | Englewood | 34,129 | $86,800 | $516,657 |
| 24 | Wheat Ridge | 32,070 | $90,564 | $606,404 |
| 25 | Thornton | 144,187 | $103,088 | $502,945 |
| 26 | Lakewood | 156,583 | $89,792 | $573,913 |
| 27 | Northglenn | 38,014 | $84,030 | $463,886 |
| 28 | Fountain | 29,300 | $86,242 | $394,609 |
| 29 | Brighton | 42,059 | $107,679 | $498,701 |
| 30 | Fort Lupton | 8,897 | $80,889 | $464,448 |
| 31 | Federal Heights | 14,125 | $56,597 | $399,108 |
| 32 | Sheridan | 6,005 | $60,608 | $436,932 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 32 Colorado suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Colorado
If you’re measuring the locations in Colorado where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Colorado are Louisville, Erie, Superior, Centennial, Castle Pines, Parker, Castle Rock, Golden, Frederick, and Monument.
