Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 108,658, settled in 1980.
For a city of 108,658, Centennial does well: it grades A−, ranked 36th of 158 in Colorado. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally and the median household earns $132K. The trade-off: homes are expensive, about $627K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. 63% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Centennial, against 44% in Colorado’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On history, just 5 of Colorado’s 218 towns do worse. Centennial is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 85% of U.S. towns.
Where Centennial beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Centennial | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 9.2% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Elementary | K–5 | 653 |
| Creekside Elementary School | PK–5 | 567 |
| Heritage Heights Academy | K–8 | 539 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Centennial is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 54,200 in 1980, 108,418 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 5 maps from 1949 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Centennial. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
13 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
13 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
12 mi LandmarkColumbine Memorial
15 mi Stadium & arenaDick's Sporting Goods 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 · Columbine Memorial: Denverjeffrey, CC BY 3.0 · Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Tom Pratt, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Centennial, 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 Centennial.
Centennial reports less crime than Littleton or any other graded neighbor, has less tooth loss than most of Colorado and pairs an A for schools with high home prices.
Its widest gap with Colorado is tooth loss: 5.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.2% statewide.
Centennial beats the Colorado average on 14 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 23% of Centennial adults have obesity.
| Centennial | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 26% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Centennial | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 9.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.9% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $627K.
Its public schools are run by the Littleton School District No. 6. Three of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 781 | A |
| Arapahoe High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,748 | A+ |
| Homestead Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 334 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
50 miles of trail in 53 parks and preserves. Centennial’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile. Willow Springs Open Space, at 164 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Centennial | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.7 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.8% | 6.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Center Park | 1.8 mi | 16 |
| 2. Cherry Creek Ecological Park | 1.5 mi | 76 |
| 3. Willow Springs Open Space | 1.4 mi | 164 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Centennial has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 19° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median rent in Centennial is $2,148 a month. The typical Centennial home is worth about $627,000, down 1% in a year, 18% above the Colorado typical home. 81% of households own their home in Centennial.
| Centennial | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,148 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 71% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Centennial for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Centennial has added 14,794 jobs, to 71,099 in 2023. The top destinations are Denver (27%), Aurora (11%) and Greenwood Village (9%).
| Centennial | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $132,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 7.5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Crime runs higher than in most U.S. towns, but its C+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Littleton (C−) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 2,264 to 1,603 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Centennial.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
15 within 15 miles of the center of Centennial
About 4 of every 100 Centennial residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
7 notable people were born in Centennial.
City in Colorado, US
Centennial is a home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,418 at the 2020 United States census, making Centennial the 11th most populous municipality in Colorado. Centennial is a principal city of the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and a part of the Front Range Urban Corridor.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Centennial.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centennial | #36 | A− | C− | C+ | A | A+ |
| Aurora | #122 | C | C | D− | B | B+ |
| Dove Valley | #37 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| Greenwood Village | #77 | B | D | D− | A | A+ |
| Littleton | #54 | B+ | C− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Inverness | #18 | A | D− | — | A− | A+ |
| Cherry Creek | #15 | A | D | — | A− | A+ |
| Foxfield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Dove Valley, Inverness and Cherry Creek report no FBI crime data of their own. Foxfield isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Centennial with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Centennial grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #36 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A+ for health, C+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Colorado, it does better than 62% of towns.
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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Madisen Beaty and Kevin Gausman.
