Colorado’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

After leading the nation in property crime per capita last year, Colorado dips to the number two spot this year, behind Washington. Colorado's violent crime rate  increased for the third year in a row, making it the fourth-highest in the nation. 

In line with the state's higher crime rates, our survey results show that Coloradans concerns about experiencing violent crime and property crime rose significantly year over year.

Colorado has the second highest property crime rate in the US at 32.7 per 1,000 people—58% higher than the national average of 20.7. The Centennial State’s violent crime rate of 5.8 is also higher than the national average, which remains unchanged from the year before (4.8). 

It's no surprise that with higher-than-average crime rates, the number of Colorado residents who told us they feel safe in the state dropped from 46% last year to 40%. The national average of Americans who feel safe in their state is just 45%.

Colorado experienced the second-highest property crime rate in the nation during the 2024 reporting year: 32.7 property crimes per 1,000 people, representing a 4% increase from the previous year. This increase lines up with nationwide trends—the national average property crime rate rose from 19.3 to 20.7, a 7% increase year over year. 

Our Colorado survey respondents reported a 7% increase in property crime experiences year over year, rising 2 percentage points compared to the previous survey. Concern about property crime also rose 13% year over year, from 48% to 54%.

• 32% of Coloradans claimed to have experienced property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is higher than the national average of 27%.
• The safest cities in Colorado reported 27% fewer burglaries than the state reported overall.
• Motor vehicle thefts make up 25% of all property crime in Colorado—71% more than the national average.
• Nearly 4 in 10 (38%) survey respondents told us they increased security measures in the 12 months prior to the survey (35% US).
• Of the Coloradans who use some form of property protection (75%), security cameras lead the way at 42%. Guard dogs are the second-most relied upon security measure (32%), and firearms and security systems tie for third place with 25% each.

• Denver was the fifth-worst metro for package theft in our 2023 report, up from number 11 in 2022.
• 53% of Coloradans worry about package theft and 42% report having experienced a package theft within the past year—the fourth-highest response in the nation.
• Coloradans prefer to use doorbell cameras for package theft prevention (31%).

Colorado’s violent crime rate for the 2024 reporting year is 5.8, which is nearly two points above the national average (4.0) and the fourth-highest rate in the nation. It also represents a 47% increase compared to The Centennial State’s violent crime rate in last year's report.

Coloradans we surveyed reported a 46% increase in concern about violent crime, but reported 7% fewer violent crime experiences year over year. Last year, 19% of Coloradans said they experienced violent crime, compared to 16% in our latest survey. That drop represents a 16% decline year over year, but it's still higher than the national average of 15%.

• Violent crime represents 15% of all crime in Colorado, which is 1 percentage point lower than the national average. 
• Colorado has the fourth-highest violent crime rate in the country, behind New Mexico, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
• Robbery accounts for 26% of violent crime in Colorado, which is 59% higher than the national average (11%).
• 35% of Coloradans use some form of personal protection (US 36%), with pocket knives being the most popular choice at 54%. 

• 56% of Coloradans are worried about gun violence (51% US)—that's a startling 20 point increase year over year.
• Contrarily, 10% told us they had an experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey (12% US)—a 3 point drop year over year.
• 16 mass shooting events occurred in Colorado in 2023; 3 more than in 2022. 
• Firearms are the second-most used form of personal protection in Colorado, used by 37% of those who use any kind of personal protection (41% US).

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 55 cities in Colorado met the criteria for ranking, including 3 cities that weren’t in the running last year (Timnath, Federal Heights, and Greenwood Village). 
• This year’s safest city in Colorado—Milliken—was in second place last year. 
• Milliken reported only 1 violent crime and 37 property crimes in the 2023 reporting year. 
• With the exception of Castle Rock, which reported 3, each of Colorado's safest cities reported zero murders. 
• All 10 of the safest cities reported fewer than 2 violent crimes per 1,000 people, with Milliken, Windsor, Severance, Erie, Castle Rock, and Timnath reporting fewer than 1.
• 4 cities reported fewer than 10 property crimes per 1,000 people: Milliken, Windsor, Severence, and Gypsum.
• Half of the top 10 reported fewer than 10 burglaries: Milliken, Severance, Gypsum, Timnath, and Woodland Park.

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Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.