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Aurora vs Parker

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (6.4× in Aurora) and household income (+51% in Parker).

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Aurora, COA college townColorado · 394,432 people
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Parker, COHomes around $676KColorado · 61,783 people
Swap order
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.

AuroraA college town
College town4 collegesUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Famous people62 notable peopleborn in Aurora SafetySafer than 5%of U.S. towns we grade All about Aurora →
ParkerHomes around $676K
Housing$676K typical home27% above the CO typical home Schools#37 for schools in COof 142 towns Outdoors#26 most trails in CO62 miles of trails across 38 parks and preserves All about Parker →
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.

Size6.4×
Aurora is the bigger place
Aurora 394,432Parker 61,783
Household income+51%
Households in Parker earn more
Parker $133,369Aurora $88,368
Home values+38%
Homes cost more in Parker
Parker $646,300Aurora $469,100
Property tax bill+45%
Tax bills are bigger in Parker
Parker $3,568Aurora $2,457
Bachelor’s degree++22.4 pts
More adults in Parker have a degree
Parker 56%Aurora 33.6%
Growth since 2010+10.4 pts
Parker has grown faster since 2010
Parker +29.2%Aurora +18.8%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,290 more a month in Parker

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 →
Parker$3,860/mo
Typical home $676K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.55% · or rent about $2,096/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,290 a month, about $15,400 a year, between Parker 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

Parker places higher on 19 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.

Safety
DAuroraSafer than 5% of U.S. towns C+ParkerSafer than 41% of U.S. towns
Schools
B+AuroraBetter than 68% of districts in the state AParkerBetter than 92% of districts in the state
Health
B+AuroraHealthier than 73% of U.S. towns A+ParkerHealthier than 96% of U.S. towns
3Aurora
19Parker

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 142 towns #127#23 Most trailsOutdoors · 143 towns #118#26 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 160 towns #126#31 SafestSafety · 83 towns #75#30 Most activeHealth · 160 towns #115#34 Best schoolsSchools · 142 towns #106#37 HealthiestHealth · 160 towns #109#39 Fewest smokersHealth · 160 towns #100#32

Left end = #1 in Colorado. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Aurora’s rankings →

Where they are

Aurora and Parker share a border

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

AuroraParkerAuroraParker
Aurora ↔ Parker14 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
2,919 Parker residents work in Aurora (9.3% of its workers)
2,864 Aurora residents work in Parker (1.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Parker →
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
AuroraParker
Snow a year49″64″
January low18°F—
July high90°F—
Growing season (days)156d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)47th53rd
Outdoors & history
AuroraParker
Trails118 mi62 mi
Conserved land10%19.9%
Settled18911981
National Register places101
Archive photos1818
Famous people born here626
Community
AuroraParker
Library hours a week48 hrs70 hrs
Colleges in town41
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.

AuroraParker
People
Population 394,432Highest 61,783Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +18.8%Lowest CO: +14.8% +29.2%Highest CO: +14.8%
Median age 35.3±0.3Lowest 6% below CO 36.2±0.6Highest 4% below CO
Kids under 18 23.9%±0.5Lowest CO: 21% 25.7%±1.5Highest CO: 21%
Parker and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.4%±0.4Highest CO: 15.6% 10.7%±1Lowest CO: 15.6%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 33.6%Lowest CO: 45.7% 56%Highest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±0.3Lowest CO: 6.4% 6.4%±1.1Highest CO: 6.4%
Parker and Aurora are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,368±$2kLowest 7% below CO $133,369±$4kHighest 40% above CO
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $469,100±$4kLowest 13% below CO $646,300±$9kHighest 20% above CO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,835±$26Lowest 4% above CO $2,096±$100Highest 19% above CO
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,457Lowest 6% below CO $3,568Highest 37% above CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.3%±2.6Highest CO: 52.9% 57.6%±8Lowest CO: 52.9%
Aurora and Parker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.9%Highest CO: 9.4% 4.4%Lowest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 62.4%Lowest CO: 66.2% 71.8%Highest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1985Lowest 3 yrs older than CO 2004Highest 16 yrs newer than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 13% above CO 26 minLowest 4% above CO
Work from home 16.5%±0.8Lowest CO: 21% 26.2%±2Highest CO: 21%
Work in townworking residents 22.8%Highest 7.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.8 miLowest 13.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.91Highest 0.70Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Denver (30%)Denver (21%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Parker9% work in Aurora
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10%Lowest 19.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 118.2 miHighest 61.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 2.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 145Highest 38Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 62.9Lowest 104Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #106 of 142 in CO#37 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 ArapahDouglas County School District No. Re 1
High school in town Cherokee Trail High SchoolLegend High School
Students per teacherat that high school 20.2Lowest 23.2Highest
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.

Parker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Parker’s Town Square.

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Bordering Aurora

+ Compare
Centennial108,201 people · $658K homes
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Denver718,877 people · $616K homes
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Watkins847 people · $651K homes
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Foxfield659 people · $1.07M homes

Towns like Aurora

+ Compare
Colorado Springs487,887 people · $453K homes
+ Compare
Fort Collins170,229 people · $578K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Colorado towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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