Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,778.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Genesee grades B+ overall, 53rd of 158 graded towns in Colorado. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates. The median household earns $187K and its public schools beat 78% of Colorado towns on state tests and graduation. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.1 million, 10.2 years of the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. 32% of residents are 65 or older in Genesee, above both Colorado’s towns (15%) and U.S. towns (18%). On hazard risk, just 8 of Colorado’s 218 towns do worse. Genesee has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Deaton Sculptured House and Genesee Park.
Where Genesee beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Genesee | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 11.1% |
Where Genesee’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Genesee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,737 in 1990, 3,610 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1957 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Genesee. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
15 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
16 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
12 mi LandmarkColumbine Memorial
37 mi National ParkRocky Mountain National Park4.2M visitors a yearRed 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 · Rocky Mountain National Park: Charles M. Sauer -- Charlessauer, CC BY-SA 3.0
Genesee is unincorporated, so Jefferson County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Genesee.
Genesee gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less no health insurance than most of Colorado, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Colorado (mostly wildfires).
At 10.2 years of the Denver metro’s $106K median household income, the typical home (about $1.08M) costs more against local pay than in 92% of Colorado towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $5,528, against $2,602 across Colorado, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Genesee’s median rent is $2,819 a month.
| Genesee | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,819 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Colorado is no health insurance: 4.1% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 11.1% statewide.
11% of Genesee adults report frequent mental distress. Only 9 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Genesee. 9.8% of Genesee adults report frequent physical distress.
| Genesee | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 16% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 26% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Genesee | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 11.1% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.6% | 9.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.5% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Colorado towns, with expected losses of about $1,386 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Genesee is 92 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Genesee since 1997.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
37.4% of workers work from home, against 21% across Colorado.
Most working residents leave Genesee for work: only 5% work in town. 2.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Genesee. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 8 have a higher median household income than Genesee.
| Genesee | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $187,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.4% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.2% | 7.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Golden 3sw weather station records that 141 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Genesee has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 20°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
9 within 15 miles of the center of Genesee
About 2 of every 100 Genesee residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
Census-designated place in Jefferson County, CO, USA
Genesee is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Genesee CDP was 3,610 at the United States Census 2020. The Golden post office (Zip code 80401) serves the area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Genesee grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #53 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A+ for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk 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 D.
