Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Golden grades B overall, 74th of 158 graded towns in Colorado. It has 29 miles of trail and 27% conserved land. It is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns and its schools outperform 78% of the state's. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $848K for a typical one and 8 times the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. 27% of the land in Golden is conserved, above both the Colorado town median (6.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Golden is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. Golden has 18 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Astor House Hotel and Rooney Ranch.
Where Golden beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1859, comes before those of 89% of the Colorado towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 1,014 in 1860, a low of 587 in 1870, 20,399 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 6 maps from 1939 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Golden is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 12%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Golden. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
11 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
12 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
12 mi LandmarkColumbine Memorial
11 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 · Columbine Memorial: Denverjeffrey, CC BY 3.0 · Elitch Gardens Theme Park: USGS, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Golden, 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 Golden.
Golden draws workers from Denver and beyond and is one of Colorado’s best towns for the outdoors, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Colorado.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 159 in Colorado.
29 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. At 3.0 miles per square mile, Golden’s trail density is above both Colorado’s towns (1.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). Apex Park, at 532 acres with 7.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Apex Park | 7.7 mi | 532 |
| 2. City of Golden North Table Mountain Area | 2 mi | 141 |
| 3. Tony Grampas Memorial Sports Complex | 0.5 mi | 59 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson County School District No. R-1. The largest public high school is Golden High School, with 1,469 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 774 | B |
| Golden High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,469 | A |
| Mitchell Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 478 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
At 8 years of the Denver metro’s $106K median household income, the typical home (about $848K) costs more against local pay than in 80% of Colorado towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Golden’s median rent is $1,953 a month. The typical Golden home is worth about $848,000, up 0.5% in a year, 60% above the Colorado typical home. 57% of Golden households own their home.
| Golden | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,953 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
19,823 jobs are based in Golden, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 30.8% of workers work from home, against 21% across Colorado.
Most working residents leave Golden for work: only 10% work in town. 31% of workers work from home in Golden. Since 2013, Golden has added 3,247 jobs, to 19,823 in 2023.
| Golden | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 7.5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Colorado it is healthier than 65% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
Golden beats the Colorado average on 11 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. Only 7 of the 159 Colorado towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Golden.
| Golden | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 26% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 27% | 35% |
| What stands out | Golden | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 12.6% | 17.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.2% | 11.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 22% | 19% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 538 to 460 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Golden is 21.6 per 1,000 residents. Within Colorado, it does better than 56% of towns.
| Golden | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.6 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Golden has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 58 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Golden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
14 within 15 miles of the center of Golden
College town 17 of every 100 Golden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
27% of the town is conserved land, across 25 parks and preserves.
18 places in Golden on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Golden.
City in Colorado, United States
Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak gold rush on June 16, 1859, the mining camp was originally named Golden City in honor of Thomas L. Golden. Golden City served as the capital of the provisional Territory of Jefferson from 1860 to 1861, and capital of the official Territory of Colorado from 1862 to 1867. In 1867, the territorial capital was moved about 12 miles (19 km) east to Denver City. Golden is now a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metrop…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Golden.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden | #74 | B | D | C | A− | A |
| West Pleasant View | #49 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| Fairmount | #16 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Lakewood | #97 | B− | C− | D− | A− | A |
West Pleasant View and Fairmount report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Golden with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Golden grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #74 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 D.
Within Colorado, it does better than 56% 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 D.
13 notable people were born here, including Jarret Thomas and Frank B. Morrison.
