Denver’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Denver.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Colorado thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Denver. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Denver neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Denver hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 22 of Denver’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$49,508 median income
$53,074 median income
$62,992 median income
$68,544 median income
$82,311 median income
$54,018 median income
$54,762 median income
$64,624 median income
$86,261 median income
$90,714 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Colorado’s statewide median.
Colorado statewide median: $541,842
Colorado statewide median: $95,470
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Denver neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Denver:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Denver, Colorado for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Denver.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 22 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Denver for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central West Denver | 50,475 | $245,607 | $49,508 |
| 2 | Northern Denver | 25,549 | $226,148 | $53,074 |
| 3 | Northwestern Denver | 30,609 | $293,687 | $62,992 |
| 4 | Gateway-Green Valley Ranch | 35,927 | $222,990 | $68,544 |
| 4 | Park Hill | 28,587 | $366,040 | $82,311 |
| 6 | Alamo Placita | 11,380 | $325,227 | $54,018 |
| 7 | Southwestern Denver | 123,093 | $227,605 | $54,762 |
| 8 | Southeastern Denver | 123,683 | $277,859 | $64,624 |
| 9 | University | 9,938 | $445,780 | $86,261 |
| 10 | Baker | 6,749 | $433,440 | $90,714 |
| 11 | Highland | 10,549 | $538,020 | $89,050 |
| 12 | Central East Denver | 64,393 | $416,967 | $88,432 |
| 13 | Stapleton | 25,262 | $538,212 | $126,734 |
| 14 | Capitol Hill | 15,881 | $384,269 | $64,389 |
| 15 | Cherry Creek | 6,954 | $782,740 | $133,998 |
| 16 | Lodo | 8,519 | $441,900 | $71,476 |
| 17 | Golden Triangle | 1,873 | $418,600 | $83,929 |
| 18 | Washington Park | 7,509 | $816,840 | $165,855 |
| 19 | Five Points | 19,079 | $555,882 | $88,369 |
| 20 | City Park | 3,355 | $575,033 | $83,430 |
| 21 | Auraria | 858 | $1,002,100 | $94,202 |
| 22 | Jefferson Park | 3,379 | $539,467 | $88,699 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 22 Denver neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Denver
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Denver with Central West Denver landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Denver are Central West Denver, Northern Denver, Northwestern Denver, Gateway-Green Valley Ranch, Park Hill, Alamo Placita, Southwestern Denver, Southeastern Denver, University, and Baker.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Denver aren’t all bad. Jefferson Park takes the cake as the best place to live in Denver.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below. Not sold on Colorado? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Worst Neighborhoods In Denver FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Denver?
Central West Denver ranks as the worst neighborhood in Denver for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Northern Denver and Northwestern Denver are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Denver?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Denver are Central West Denver, Northern Denver, Northwestern Denver, Gateway-Green Valley Ranch, Park Hill, Alamo Placita, Southwestern Denver, Southeastern Denver, University, and Baker. We scored all 22 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does Central West Denver rank as the worst?
Central West Denver posts the roughest combined numbers in Denver: a median household income of $49,508 and a median home value of $245,607, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
