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Aurora vs Denver

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: bachelor’s degree+ (+22.9 pts in Denver) and work in town (+22.1 pts in Denver).

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Aurora, COA college townColorado · 394,432 people
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Denver, COA history townColorado · 718,877 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 · Report cards

Denver places higher on 17 of 23 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $380 more a month in Denver

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 →
Denver$2,950/mo
Typical home $525K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.45% · or rent about $1,831/mo · Housing →

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,500 a year, between Denver 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.

Where they are

Aurora and Denver share a border

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

AuroraDenverAuroraDenver
Aurora ↔ Denver9.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
53,639 Aurora residents work in Denver (30.5% of its workers)
31,814 Denver residents work in Aurora (9.3% 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
AuroraDenver
Snow a year49″49″
January low18°F18°F
July high90°F90°F
Growing season (days)156d156d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th60th
Outdoors & history
AuroraDenver
Conserved land10%7%
Settled18911858
National Register places10326
Archive photos1830
Famous people born here6234
Community
AuroraDenver
Library hours a week48 hrs25 hrs
Colleges in town47
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.

AuroraDenver
People
Population 394,432Lowest 718,877Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +18.8%Lowest CO: +14.8% +19.2%Highest CO: +14.8%
Median age 35.3±0.3 6% below CO 35.3±0.1 6% below CO
Kids under 18 23.9%±0.5Highest CO: 21% 18%±0.3Lowest CO: 21%
Age 65+ 12.4%±0.4Lowest CO: 15.6% 12.5%±0.3Highest CO: 15.6%
Denver and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.6%Lowest CO: 45.7% 56.5%Highest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±0.3Lowest CO: 6.4% 6.3%±0.2Highest CO: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,368±$2kLowest 7% below CO $94,718±$2kHighest about the CO average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $469,100±$4kLowest 13% below CO $616,000±$7kHighest 14% above CO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,835±$26Highest 4% above CO $1,831±$17Lowest 4% above CO
Aurora and Denver are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,457Lowest 6% below CO $2,751Highest 6% above CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.3%±2.6Highest CO: 52.9% 47.6%±1.2Lowest CO: 52.9%
Below poverty line 11.9%Highest CO: 9.4% 11.2%Lowest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.4%Highest CO: 66.2% 48.8%Lowest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1985Highest 3 yrs older than CO 1975Lowest 13 yrs older than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 13% above CO 25 minLowest about the CO average
Work from home 16.5%±0.8Lowest CO: 21% 27.3%±0.6Highest CO: 21%
Work in townworking residents 22.8%Lowest 44.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miHighest 6.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.91Lowest 1.53Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Denver (30%)Aurora (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 30% work in Denver9% work in Aurora
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10%Highest 7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 118.2 miLowest 180.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 1.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 145Lowest 245Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.9Lowest 103Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #106 of 142 in CO#83 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 ArapahAurora Joint District No. 28 of the counties of Adams and A · School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of C
High school in town Cherokee Trail High SchoolEast High School
Students per teacherat that high school 20.2Lowest 21.2Highest
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.

Denver neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Denver’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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