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Denver vs Aurora

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

Denver$2,950/mo
Typical home $525K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.45% · or rent about $1,831/mo · Housing →
Aurora$2,570/mo
Typical home $453K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $1,835/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

Denver and Aurora share a border

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

DenverAuroraDenverAurora
Denver ↔ Aurora9.3 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
DenverAurora
Snow a year49″49″
January low18°F18°F
July high90°F90°F
Growing season (days)156d156d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th47th
Outdoors & history
DenverAurora
Conserved land7%10%
Settled18581891
National Register places32610
Archive photos3018
Famous people born here3462
Community
DenverAurora
Library hours a week25 hrs48 hrs
Colleges in town74
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.

DenverAurora
People
Population 718,877Highest 394,432Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +19.2%Highest CO: +14.8% +18.8%Lowest CO: +14.8%
Median age 35.3±0.1 6% below CO 35.3±0.3 6% below CO
Kids under 18 18%±0.3Lowest CO: 21% 23.9%±0.5Highest CO: 21%
Age 65+ 12.5%±0.3Highest CO: 15.6% 12.4%±0.4Lowest 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+ 56.5%Highest CO: 45.7% 33.6%Lowest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±0.2Highest CO: 6.4% 5.4%±0.3Lowest CO: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $94,718±$2kHighest about the CO average $88,368±$2kLowest 7% below CO
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $616,000±$7kHighest 14% above CO $469,100±$4kLowest 13% below CO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,831±$17Lowest 4% above CO $1,835±$26Highest 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 $2,751Highest 6% above CO $2,457Lowest 6% below CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.6%±1.2Lowest CO: 52.9% 60.3%±2.6Highest CO: 52.9%
Below poverty line 11.2%Lowest CO: 9.4% 11.9%Highest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 48.8%Lowest CO: 66.2% 62.4%Highest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 13 yrs older than CO 1985Highest 3 yrs older than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest about the CO average 29 minHighest 13% above CO
Work from home 27.3%±0.6Highest CO: 21% 16.5%±0.8Lowest CO: 21%
Work in townworking residents 44.9%Highest 22.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.8 miLowest 9.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.53Highest 0.91Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Aurora (9%)Denver (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 9% work in Aurora30% work in Denver
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7%Lowest 10%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 180.5 miHighest 118.2 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.7 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 245Highest 145Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 103Highest 62.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #83 of 142 in CO#106 of 142 in CO
School district Aurora Joint District No. 28 of the counties of Adams and A · School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of CAurora Joint District No. 28 of the counties of Adams and A · Cherry Creek School District No. 5 in the county of Arapah
High school in town East High SchoolCherokee Trail High School
Students per teacherat that high school 21.2Highest 20.2Lowest
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.

Denver neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Denver’s Town Square.

Aurora neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Aurora’s Town Square.

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Bordering Denver

Towns like Denver

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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