Boulder makes Colorado’s top 10 on 6 lists
Boulder is ranked on 36 lists against the 160 Colorado towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 6 and the top quarter on 11.
Younger than 98% of Colorado
Not better or worse, just Boulder’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Boulder does best on
Each list ranks every CO town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Boulder marked.
1 spot from the top 3 for low obesity
Lists where Boulder sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Boulder lands in the top half on 15 of 23 lists
Each dot is Boulder’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in CO, the right end is last. Areas where Boulder does best come first.
Boulder out-ranks 0 of its 2 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every CO list, and where Boulder lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Superior · 100 / 100
#63
Lowest obesity#1 Superior · 15%
#4
Fewest smokers#1 Lone Tree · 7%
#32
Most active#1 Superior · 9%
#9
Fewest uninsured#1 Genesee · 4%
#59
Lowest depression#1 Sherrelwood · 20%
#149
Closest to a top hospital#1 Trinidad · 0.1 mi
#5 People
Most educated#1 Cherry Hills Village · 83.4%
#7
Youngest#1 Air Force Academy · 21.0
#4
Oldest#1 Lincoln Park · 59.1
#157
Most residents 65+#1 Lincoln Park · 34.7%
#107
S
Most kids#1 Sierra Ridge · 34%
#153 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Gunbarrel · 55.3%
#11
Most trails#1 New Castle · 7.2 mi / sq mi
#18
Most walkable#1 Edgewater · 188 / sq mi
#44 Schools
Best schools#1 Cherry Hills Village · +32.0 pts
#6
Highest graduation rate#1 Lamar · 97%
#23 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Lamar · 9.7 min
#25 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Breckenridge · 55.9%
#60
Most new homes#1 Timnath · 44.0 per 1,000
#62
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Breckenridge · +76.5%
#133
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Federal Heights · 33.9 per home
Safety
Safest#1 Milliken · 4.8
#58 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Federal Heights · 1.0 yrs
#152
Cheapest rent#1 La Junta · $642/mo
#108
Lowest property tax#1 Walsenburg · $393/yr
#144
Rent easiest to afford#1 Craig · 33.3%
#52 
The number on the right is Boulder’s spot. All of Colorado’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every CO list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.