The 25 Best Neighborhoods in Denver in 2024

By Jessica Giles & Daliah Singer

Take a look around at the license plates in your neck of the woods, and you’ll know this to be true: People from all over the country flock to Denver. And we don’t have to tell you why. Cough, abundant sunshine, sensational restaurants and bars, a vibrant arts and music scene, and cutting-edge businesses, cough. There is a lot to love about the Mile High lifestyle—not to mention our proximity to those oh-so-appealing Rocky Mountains.

What’s less obvious is exactly where to settle down. Our sixth annual top neighborhoods list is here to help. We evaluated all 78 official Denver neighborhoods through our livability formula (see “The Process,” below), which takes into account home values, school quality, safety, and those distinctive aspects that set a place apart like its cultural offerings, food access, bike-ability, open spaces, and more.

This year’s list was inevitably shaped by a brutal 2023 housing market with high interest rates and fewer buyers. For the first time since we started compiling this list, the average home price dropped in 50 of the city’s 78 neighborhoods. But even in the midst of a rough real estate year, people found their forever homes in Denver, often prioritizing safety and affordability over the trendiest parts of town.

With interest rates dropping, you might be tempted to secure your own slice of Mile High City paradise. So, whether you’re moving to the Centennial State from Texas (stifle your groans, locals) or just hopping ’hoods, our list of the 25 best places to live right now—and how to enjoy it once you put down roots—is here when you’re ready.

Population
713,252
2023 Average Home Sale Price
$738,128

The Process

Here’s how we create our annual 25 Best Neighborhoods list.

Our ranking is based on four variables: home prices, crime data, school rankings, and an X factor score that accounts for things that can’t be as easily quantified, such as access to open space, public transportation, and restaurants and shops. Each category is weighted: 30 percent for year-over-year percentage change in home values; 25 percent for safety; 15 percent for neighborhood school ratings; and 30 percent for the X factor. Our initial list of 78 neighborhoods (which was whittled down to 76, as you’ll read below) is based on the city of Denver’s official map. That’s why you won’t see areas like LoHi or RiNo listed; officially, they’re not considered their own neighborhoods, despite what locals might say.

  • Average home sale prices: The data was provided by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR) and pulled by Michelle Schwinghammer, a broker associate with West + Main Homes and DMAR Market Trends Committee member. The percentage changes reflect the difference in average closing prices between 2022 and 2023. Two Denver neighborhoods (Auraria and Sun Valley) had five or fewer closed home sales in 2023 and were thus excluded from consideration.
  • Safety rank: The total number of crimes reported in each neighborhood in 2023 came from the Denver Police Department and is based on definitions from the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). (Note: The data is dynamic. We based our calculations on the statistics available on August 12, 2024.) The figures were then adjusted per capita using 2022 population statistics pulled from the Neighborhood Dashboard maintained by the City of Denver’s Community Planning and Development office. Finally, neighborhoods were ranked from lowest crime per capita (one) to highest crime per capita (78).
  • School ratings: The data was taken from the Colorado Department of Education’s 2023 Final School Ratings (SPF). However, schools with insufficient data for the last two years were excluded. In addition, four schools were excluded that did not administer state assessments (state assessments are only administered for grades three through 12). We awarded the public schools a numerical score based on their state ratings—four was the highest (correlating to “Performance Plan” in the state SPF report) and one was the lowest (“Turnaround Plan” in the report)—and then averaged them to generate a neighborhood score. For neighborhoods that did not have schools within their boundaries, we averaged the ratings of the schools in adjacent neighborhoods. Schools that closed during the 2022–’23 school year were excluded.
  • X factor: We awarded each neighborhood a rating on a scale of one to 10 (10 being the highest).

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Compare Neighborhoods

Neighborhood Rank Population 2023 Average Sale Price Real Estate Rank Schools Score Safety Rank X Factor Score
Washington Park 1 7,188 $1,915,886 3 3.5 8 9
Berkeley 2 8,789 $962,200 24 4 13 9
South Park Hill 3 9,009 $1,029,963 11 3.6 7 8
Congress Park 4 11,362 $857,123 21 4 20 8.5
Country Club 5 3,138 $2,404,501 5 3.8 12 7.5
University 6 9,496 $812,840 19 4 10 7.5
Platt Park 7 6,672 $1,037,471 22 4 26 8.5
Wellshire 8 3,062 $1,276,494 15 4 1 6
Washington Park West 9 7,645 $1,102,032 16 4 39 8.5
Sloan’s Lake 10 7,851 $982,091 14 4 24 7.5
Hale 11 9,028 $687,019 7 4 36 7.5
Cherry Creek 12 6,153 $1,814,213 6 4 59 8.5
University Park 13 8,092 $1,494,694 9 4 25 6
West Highland 14 10,348 $979,582 34 3.5 15 8.5
Fort Logan 15 9,131 $617,590 4 4 4 3
Indian Creek 16 3,842 $467,027 18 4 6 4.5
Cheesman Park 17 8,631 $737,706 17 3.7 44 8
University Hills 18 6,659 $764,973 8 4 53 7
Highland 19 11,309 $915,861 35 3.6 44 9.5
Gateway - Green Valley Ranch 20 46,499 $517,492 28 3.2 11 7
Hampden South 21 16,902 $533,321 10 4 30 5
Hilltop 22 8,749 $1,551,122 47 3.7 9 7.5
Montclair 23 6,110 $882,049 24 4 37 6
Marston 24 11,859 $494,470 23 4 5 3
Central Park 25 31,377 $725,191 36 3.8 56 8