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Aurora vs Centennial

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: household income (+49% in Centennial) and bachelor’s degree+ (+29 pts in Centennial).

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Aurora, COA college townColorado · 394,432 people
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Centennial, COKnown for its schoolsColorado · 108,201 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,030 more a month in Centennial

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Aurora$2,570/mo
Typical home $453K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $1,835/mo · Housing →
Centennial$3,610/mo
Typical home $633K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.55% · or rent about $2,148/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,030 a month, about $12,400 a year, between Centennial and Aurora.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Centennial places higher on 16 of 22 CO lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Colorado ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Aurora and Centennial share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AuroraCentennialAuroraCentennial
Aurora ↔ Centennial11 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
9,085 Aurora residents work in Centennial (5.2% of its workers)
5,640 Centennial residents work in Aurora (10.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Aurora →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AuroraCentennial
Snow a year49″64″
January low18°F—
July high90°F—
Growing season (days)156d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th48th
Outdoors & history
AuroraCentennial
Conserved land10%9.8%
Settled18912001
National Register places10—
Archive photos1824
Famous people born here627
Community
AuroraCentennial
Library hours a week48 hrs69 hrs
Colleges in town4—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AuroraCentennial
People
Population 394,432Highest 108,201Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +18.8%Highest CO: +14.8% +8%Lowest CO: +14.8%
Median age 35.3±0.3Lowest 6% below CO 42±0.7Highest 11% above CO
Kids under 18 23.9%±0.5Highest CO: 21% 21.8%±1Lowest CO: 21%
Age 65+ 12.4%±0.4Lowest CO: 15.6% 18.9%±0.8Highest CO: 15.6%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.6%Lowest CO: 45.7% 62.6%Highest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±0.3Highest CO: 6.4% 4.4%±0.5Lowest CO: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,368±$2kLowest 7% below CO $131,928±$6kHighest 38% above CO
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $469,100±$4kLowest 13% below CO $658,100±$6kHighest 22% above CO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,835±$26Lowest 4% above CO $2,148±$63Highest 22% above CO
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,457Lowest 6% below CO $3,588Highest 38% above CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.3%±2.6Highest CO: 52.9% 47.1%±5Lowest CO: 52.9%
Below poverty line 11.9%Highest CO: 9.4% 3.3%Lowest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.4%Lowest CO: 66.2% 80.6%Highest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1985Highest 3 yrs older than CO 1983Lowest 5 yrs older than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 13% above CO 26 minLowest about the CO average
Work from home 16.5%±0.8Lowest CO: 21% 26.9%±1.6Highest CO: 21%
Work in townworking residents 22.8%Highest 10.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miHighest 8.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.91Lowest 1.36Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Denver (30%)Denver (27%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Centennial11% work in Aurora
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10%Highest 9.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 118.2 miHighest 50.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 145Highest 53Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.9Lowest 119Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #106 of 142 in CO#14 of 142 in CO
School district Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the counties of Adams and A · Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the county of ArapahCherry Creek School District No. 5 in the county of Arapah · Littleton School District No. 6 in the county of Arapahoe
High school in town Cherokee Trail High SchoolArapahoe High School
Students per teacherat that high school 20.2Lowest 22.5Highest
Colorado average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Aurora neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aurora’s Town Square.

Centennial neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Centennial’s Town Square.

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Bordering Aurora

Towns like Aurora

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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