PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

32.8
Life Score / 100
F
Grade (curved)
#380
of 387 metros
2%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Denver ranks #380 of 387 US metros, ahead of 2% - carried by its wages (93/100) and held back most by cost of living (6/100).

93
strongest: Wages
63
then: Schools
6
weakest: Cost of Living
7
weighted dimensions

Where Denver sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

33 2th percentile higher than 2% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). This entry sits in this band. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Above this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Denver Life Score

Denver's composite score of 32.8 out of 100, a grade of F, places the metro at rank #380 of 387, ahead of 2% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (93/100) and Schools (63/100), which pull the composite upward, while Cost of Living (6/100) and Safety (6/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 105.8 (rent-RPP 146.9). BLS median salary $78,519, 1,580,940 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Stockers and Order Fillers). HUD 2BR FMR $2,089/mo (studio $1,643).

FBI UCR (CO): 481 violent, 2641 property/100K. NCES: 16.6:1 ratio, 14.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,821/yr. EPA: 24 Superfund sites (CO). Ranks #377-#383 below.

Dimension detail

How Denver scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 6/100 (20%)
Wages 93/100 (20%)
Rent 7/100 (15%)
Safety 6/100 (15%)
Schools 63/100 (10%)
Childcare 23/100 (10%)
Environment 24/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

105.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$78,519
Avg Median Salary
$2,089
2BR Fair Market Rent
481
Violent Crime/100K (CO)
16.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$12,821
Infant Childcare/yr (CO)
24
Superfund Sites (CO)
1,580,940
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Denver With...

Denver vs Pueblo Compare → Denver vs Grand Junction Compare → Denver vs Greeley Compare → Denver vs Wildwood Compare → Denver vs Waterloo Compare → Denver vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Denver outranks 2% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#377 Albuquerque, NM 32.9 F
#378 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 33.0 F
#379 Barnstable Town, MA 33.2 F
#380 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 32.8 F
#381 Boulder, CO 32.6 F
#382 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 32.4 F
#383 Kingston, NY 31.8 F

CO Metro Scores

Pueblo, CO C+ 47.3 Grand Junction, CO C- 38.8 Greeley, CO D 37.2 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO D 36.3 Colorado Springs, CO D 34.8 Boulder, CO F 32.6

Using Denver's Life Score

Denver is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is wages (93/100) and its weakest is cost of living (6/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Denver head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Denver lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Denver's biggest strengths? ▼
Denver's strongest dimensions are Wages (93/100), Schools (63/100), Environment (24/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Denver's weakest areas? ▼
Denver's lowest-scoring dimensions are Cost of Living (6/100), Safety (6/100), Rent (7/100). Cost of Living weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Denver compared to the national average? ▼
Denver's Regional Price Parity is 105.8 (5.8% more than national); rent RPP 146.9.
What is the average salary in Denver? ▼
Denver median salary: $78,519, 1,580,940 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Stockers and Order Fillers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Denver's 32.8/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.