Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,075, settled in 1950.
Federal Heights gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $382K, 3.6 years of the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. It grades B− overall, 95th of 158 graded towns in Colorado. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it has 5 miles of trail. Federal Heights’ trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile, where Colorado’s towns sit at 1.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Federal Heights is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. No town in Colorado scores lower than Federal Heights on civic life.
Where Federal Heights beats most towns.
11,467 counted in 2010 and 14,382 in 2020; an estimated 14,075 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.3%, after 25.4% growth 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 Federal Heights is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 173 in 1950, 14,382 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 5 maps from 1940 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Federal Heights. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
Big draw17 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
8 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
8 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
8 mi Stadium & arenaDick's Sporting Goods Park
8 mi Theme parkElitch Gardens Theme ParkEmpower Field at Mile High: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Unknown, 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 Federal Heights, 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 Federal Heights.
Federal Heights has home values still below their peak, but it has poverty well above the Colorado rate and scores below Sherrelwood and its other neighbors on health.
5.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Carmenisch Park, at 67 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carstens Park | 1.1 mi | 35 |
| 2. Carmenisch Park | 0.3 mi | 67 |
| 3. Ruston Park | 0.1 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is The Pinnacle Charter School, with 1,905 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Heights Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 430 | D− |
| The Pinnacle Charter SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,905 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Sherrelwood (B) to Westminster (A).
28% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Federal Heights, above both Colorado’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (8.1%). 69% of adults had a checkup this year in Federal Heights. Federal Heights beats the Colorado average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 18.
| Federal Heights | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 15% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 16% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 71% | 79% |
| What stands out | Federal Heights | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 7.8% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.2% | 19% |
| More uninsured adults | 27.7% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 5,559 working residents takes 32.2 minutes, against 25.2 across Colorado.
Most working residents leave Federal Heights for work: only 2% work in town. 24% of Federal Heights residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Denver (21%), Aurora (7%) and Thornton (7%).
| Federal Heights | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.9% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $382K, is 14% below its June 2022 peak. 67.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.9% across Colorado.
The median rent in Federal Heights is $1,687 a month. The typical Federal Heights home is worth about $382,000, down 3.8% in a year, 28% below the Colorado typical home.
| Federal Heights | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,687 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Federal Heights.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Federal Heights has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 20° and about 55 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Federal Heights's reported crime rate is close to Colorado's. Federal Heights’ violent crime rate is 5.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Federal Heights | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
15 within 15 miles of the center of Federal Heights
About 2 of every 100 Federal Heights residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Where Federal Heights’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Home rule city in Adams County, Colorado, United States
The City of Federal Heights is a home rule city located in western Adams County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 14,382 at the 2020 United States census, a +25.42% increase since the 2010 United States census. Federal Heights is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. The current mayor is Linda S. Montoya, who was elected to a second four-year term in 2023.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Federal Heights.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Heights | #95 | B− | B+ | — | B+ | C− |
| Thornton | #102 | B− | C− | C− | B+ | A− |
| Sherrelwood | #126 | C | C | — | D | B |
| Westminster | #76 | B | C | D | A− | A |
Federal Heights and Sherrelwood report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Federal Heights with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Federal Heights grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #95 of 158 in Colorado. It grades C− for health and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
