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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Updated April 2026 · 18 cities · 6 data sources

Colorado Data Profile 2026: Crime, Schools, Water, Air, Hospitals & City Spending

Cities Tracked
18
Avg Safety Score
61.2/100
Avg School Score
68.6/100
Avg Water Safety
79/100

Crime & Safety

Colorado has an average safety score of 61.2/100 across 10 cities, below the national average of 61.5/100.

Safest Cities

CitySafety ScoreGradeViolent Crime Rate
Pueblo83A172.8
Boulder67B463.1
Westminster67B255.8
Arvada67B463.1
Aurora65B483.2

Most Dangerous Cities

CitySafety ScoreGradeViolent Crime Rate
Denver43D654.7
Colorado Springs48D712.4
Thornton49D665.3
Lakewood60C271.3
Centennial63C266.1

School Quality

Colorado cities average a school score of 68.6/100 across 8 cities.

Top School Districts

CityScoreGrade
PARKER71B
Denver69B
Colorado Springs69B
Lakewood68B
Arvada68B

Lowest-Rated Schools

CityScoreGrade
Lakewood68B
Arvada68B
LONGMONT68B
CHEYENNE WELLS68B
DURANGO68B

Water Safety

Colorado cities average a water safety score of 79/100 across 5 cities.

Cleanest Water

CitySafety ScoreGradeViolations
Aurora88A0
Colorado Springs85A0
Westminster80A0
Denver72B8
Thornton70B13

Most Water Violations

CitySafety ScoreGradeViolations
Thornton70B13
Denver72B8
Colorado Springs85A0
Aurora88A0
Westminster80A0

Air Quality

Colorado cities average a median AQI of 42.6 across 5 cities.

Best Air Quality

CityMedian AQIGradeUnhealthy Days
Alamosa22A2
Pueblo43B5
Delta44C2
Boulder50D74
Denver54C68

Worst Air Quality

CityMedian AQIGradeUnhealthy Days
Denver54C68
Boulder50D74
Delta44C2
Pueblo43B5
Alamosa22A2

Hospital Quality

Colorado cities have an average hospital quality rating of 3.4/5 across 16 cities with a total of 37 hospitals tracked.

Top-Rated Hospital Cities

CityAvg QualityHospital Count
Broomfield5/51
DURANGO5/52
LONGMONT4.5/52
Aurora4.3/54
Colorado Springs4/57

City Spending

Colorado cities average $18,491.9 in per-capita spending with an average fiscal health score of 55.9/100.

Most Fiscally Efficient

CityFiscal ScorePer Capita
Centennial80/100$54
PARKER73/100$10,844
Aurora66/100$17,400
Westminster62/100$16,434
Colorado Springs59/100$13,222

Biggest Spenders (Per Capita)

CityPer CapitaFiscal Score
Broomfield$52,30743/100
Boulder$39,63643/100
Denver$33,58251/100
Castle Rock$18,28336/100
Aurora$17,40066/100

According to data compiled by CitySpend.org from 6 federal sources, Colorado has 18 tracked cities with an average safety score of 61.2, school score of 68.6, and water safety score of 79.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on FBI crime data, Pueblo is the safest city in Colorado with a safety score of 83/100 (Grade A).

PARKER has the highest average school score in Colorado at 71/100 (Grade B).

Aurora has the highest water safety score in Colorado at 88/100 with 0 violations.

Centennial has the highest fiscal health score in Colorado at 80/100 with per-capita spending of $54.

Alamosa has the best air quality in Colorado with a median AQI of 22 (Grade A).

Cross-site data compiled from CrimeContext, WaterSafe, AirHistory, SchoolGrades, HospitalCosts, and CitySpend databases. Scores reflect the most recent federal data available for each dimension.