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Colorado

#36 of 50 states · 😐 Meh

#36of 50
Colorado among U.S. states
D52
😐 Meh
🏆 Prop taxtop 10%
🚽 Bad airbottom 14%
Rolled up from 78 ranked cities · 4,157,234 residents
Taxes
7.89% sales · US 7.00%4.40% flat income · US 4.63%

City heat map

Every ranked city — bubble size = population, color = how it ranks within Colorado. Tap a bubble for its card.

Best-ranked in ColoradoWorst-ranked

Color is each city's rank within Colorado — not its national score. Hover or open a bubble for that, or see every city on one scale on the national map.

The breakdown — worst first

Unhealthy air days14

Population-weighted average across 65 Colorado cities

Days per year with unhealthy air (AQI above 100).

Property crime rate17

Population-weighted average across 74 Colorado cities

Burglary, theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson per 100,000 residents.

Air quality (AQI)19

Population-weighted average across 65 Colorado cities

Median air quality index — lower is cleaner air.

Housing cost20

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.

Violent crime rate23

Population-weighted average across 74 Colorado cities

Violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) per 100,000 residents.

Unemployment rate29

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Share of the labor force out of work.

Uninsured adults38

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Adults 18–64 without health insurance.

Rent42

Population-weighted average across 62 Colorado cities

Typical monthly rent (Zillow Observed Rent Index, all home types).

Natural disaster risk43

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more.

Homeownership44

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.

Commute time45

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.

Income inequality49

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).

Poor mental health56

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Adults reporting frequent poor mental health (14+ days a month).

Population growth (5yr)56

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?

Poverty rate59

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.

Broadband access68

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Median household income68

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.

Adult smoking70

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Share of adults who currently smoke.

Bachelor's degree or higher73

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.

Physical inactivity83

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Adults with no leisure-time physical activity.

Adult obesity85

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Share of adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30).

Property-tax burden90

Population-weighted average across 78 Colorado cities

Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.

See all Colorado cities →

Colorado's headline score is the population-weighted average of its cities' scores, placed on a curve relative to the other states — a bird's-eye, states-vs-states ranking. The breakdown bars above are the absolute, per-metric rollup across its cities of 5,000+ residents. The heat map colors each city by its rank within Colorado(greenest = best here); the city lists below show each city's national score.