Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brighton grades C overall, 121st among Colorado's 158 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 24 miles of trail and it is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 86% of U.S. towns, with 216 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Only 7 of Colorado’s 146 towns score lower on civic life. Brighton’s violent crime rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents, against 2.3 in Colorado’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Brighton has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Brighton High School and Adams County Courthouse.
Where Brighton beats most towns.
33,352 counted in 2010 and 40,083 in 2020; an estimated 45,395 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 13.3% since 2020, after 20.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Brighton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 306 in 1890, 40,083 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 4 maps from 1940 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brighton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
19 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
18 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
12 mi Stadium & arenaDick's Sporting Goods Park
19 mi Theme parkElitch Gardens Theme ParkRed Rocks Amphitheatre: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Empower Field at Mile High: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ball Arena: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Coors Field: Matt Kozlowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Tom Pratt, CC BY 2.0 · Elitch Gardens Theme Park: USGS, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brighton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Brighton.
Brighton fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally, has home values still below their peak and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Colorado.
At 43.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 69% of Colorado’s graded towns.
Brighton’s property crime rate is 23.4 per 1,000 residents. Brighton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the School District 27J. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley East Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,214 | C+ |
| Prairie View High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,809 | C+ |
| Eagle Ridge AcademyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 593 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
24 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. The trail density in Brighton is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Observatory Park, at 36 acres.
| Brighton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carmichael Park | 1.2 mi | 15 |
| 2. Adams County Natural Park | 1.1 mi | 25 |
| 3. Donelson Park | 0.9 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Colorado it is less healthy than 72% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar. Against the 7,512 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brighton’s, it is less healthy than 54%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Brighton beats the Colorado average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 17% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Brighton.
| Brighton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 71% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 35% |
| What stands out | Brighton | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 7.8% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20.6% | 22.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 16.8% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brighton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Brighton has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 16° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 12,518 in 2013 to 17,080.
Most working residents leave Brighton for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Brighton grew to 17,080 in 2023, 4,562 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Denver (20%), Aurora (8%) and Commerce City (6%).
| Brighton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $108,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 7.5% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $488K, is 10% below its July 2022 peak.
The typical Brighton home is worth about $488,000, down 2.3% in a year, 8% below the Colorado typical home.
| Brighton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,779 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 71% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Brighton
About 4 of every 100 Brighton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
4 places in Brighton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Home-rule city and seat of Adams County, Colorado, USA
Brighton is a home rule city located in Adams and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Brighton is the county seat of Adams County and is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Greeley, CO Combined Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. The city population was 40,083 at the 2020 United States census with 39,718 residing in Adams County and 365 residing in Weld County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Brighton.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton | #121 | C | C− | D | B− | B+ |
| Todd Creek | #78 | B | C− | — | B− | A+ |
| Commerce City | #139 | C− | D | D | C+ | B |
| Lochbuie | #114 | C+ | C | — | C+ | B |
| Fort Lupton | #146 | C− | B− | C | C+ | C |
Todd Creek and Lochbuie report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Brighton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brighton grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #121 of 158 in Colorado. It grades B+ for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Angie Zapata and Terry Unrein.
