Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Glendale reports more crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, including 88 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Overall it grades B−, 94th among Colorado's 158 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 88% of the country and its schools outperform 83% of the state's. Glendale’s violent offense rate is 19.9 per 1,000 residents, above both Colorado’s towns (2.3) and U.S. towns (1.6). On safety, just 1 of Colorado’s 102 towns do worse. Glendale is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Glendale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Glendale’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 Glendale is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 1%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1859, comes before those of 89% of the Colorado towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 468 in 1960, 4,613 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 6 maps from 1940 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Glendale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
5 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
Big draw15 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
5 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
5 mi Theme parkElitch Gardens Theme Park
8 mi Stadium & arenaDick's Sporting Goods ParkEmpower Field at Mile High: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ball Arena: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Coors Field: Matt Kozlowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Elitch Gardens Theme Park: USGS, Public domain · Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Tom Pratt, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Glendale, 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 Glendale.
Glendale draws workers from Denver and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 5 times the Colorado rate.
Only 3.9% of households own their home, against 66.2% across Colorado.
Since 2020, Glendale has lost 3% of its people, to 4,475 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. For Glendale, the midpoint age is 30.8 years. 55% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 46% across Colorado.
| Glendale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 9% | 22% | 22% |
| Median age | 30.8 years | 38.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 55% | 44% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.2 points. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 30.7, men 30.9.
| Glendale | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.3% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0.6% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 45.5% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 1.9% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 0.5% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.3% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 11.8% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 35.1% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.5% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
Violent crime runs at 19.9 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Colorado rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes rose from 669 to 777 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
10,063 jobs are based in Glendale, 4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The top destinations are Denver (47%), Aurora (9%) and Greenwood Village (5%). Just 4% of Glendale’s working residents have a job in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in the town. Half of commuters travel less than 6 miles.
| Glendale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 7.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Colorado is heart disease: 2.4% of its 4,172 adults have heart disease, against 5.1% statewide. Within Colorado it is less healthy than 53% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
The share of adults in Glendale who have been diagnosed with depression: 26%. Among 159 Colorado towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Glendale. Also worth knowing: this Colorado town does better than the Colorado average on 11 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 8.
| Glendale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 27% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 62% | 71% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 4.6% | 8.5% | 12% |
| What stands out | Glendale | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 2.4% | 5.1% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 3.7% | 7.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.4% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Glendale’s trail network density comes in at 1.7 miles per square mile. Trails run 1.0 miles in 3 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in the town: 3, covering 18 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Creekside Park | — | 10 |
| 2. Infinity Park | 0.2 mi | 7 |
| 3. Four Mile Historic Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.9 years of the Denver metro’s $106K median household income, the typical home (about $312K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Colorado towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The typical value, about $312K, is 20% below its July 2022 peak.
In Glendale, the typical rent is $1,815 a month. Typical home values fell 8.4% in the year to September 2026. Glendale: 3.9% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Glendale | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 3.9% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,815 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Denver-stapleton weather station, 5 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 156 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 77% of Colorado places with climate records.
A winter brings about 49 inches of snow, with January nights at 19° and July afternoons at 89°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Glendale’s risk rating from FEMA stands at 57 of 100. Expected losses in Glendale break down as 39% from inland flooding and 36% from hail. Federal aid has come to Glendale households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2006.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
19 within 15 miles of the center of Glendale
About 9 of every 100 Glendale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
4,184 counted in 2010 and 4,613 in 2020; an estimated 4,475 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 3%, after 10.3% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
City in Colorado, United States
The City of Glendale is a home rule municipality located in an exclave of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 4,613 at the 2020 United States census. Glendale is an enclave of the City and County of Denver and is the most densely populated municipality in Colorado. The city is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. Glendale's fire and medical services have been provided by the Denver Fire Department and Denver Paramedics through a contract with the City and County of Denver since 2005. Glendale is policed by the Glendale Police Department.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Glendale grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #94 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A for health, D− for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($105,762 across the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
