Photo: Jguy10218 · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Highlands Ranch have higher incomes than those in 96% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Highlands Ranch A; getting around on foot earns it A−. 2.9% of residents live below the poverty line, where Colorado as a whole has 9.4%. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.0 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 13.2 in Denver.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Highlands Ranch
Home offices are common in Highlands Ranch
33% of Highlands Ranch workers work from home, against 21% across Colorado. Time on the road ↓
Highlands Ranch and Denver trade workers both ways
Denver is the top workplace for Highlands Ranch residents (23%) and also where the most people who work in Highlands Ranch come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How Highlands Ranch earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Highlands Ranch is better than 94% of U.S. towns, #22 of 159 in Colorado. Household income is its strongest input ($159,307, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Highlands Ranch could be anywhere from A to A+.
How long Highlands Ranch spends getting to work: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Highlands Ranch workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 36,694 commuters (the 33% who work from home are left out). Across Colorado: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
23% of working residents work in Denver
Where Highlands Ranch clocks in
23% of workers
7% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
How a workday changes Highlands Ranch
On a workday 48,088 residents head out to work, 4,764 work right here, and 23,867 people come in from elsewhere.
About 78,000 people are in Highlands Ranch on a workday afternoon, 24% fewer than live here.
0.54 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
66% of the jobs in Highlands Ranch pay over $3,333 a month
28,631 jobs are based in Highlands Ranch.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Highlands Ranch, 2013 → 2023: 21,396 → 28,631. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Highlands Ranch’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from Highlands Ranch
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Highlands Ranch, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Highlands Ranch is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns, #79 of 159 in Colorado. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 6.4% across Colorado.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 54,735 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 48% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 4% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 59% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.7% of Highlands Ranch households have no vehicle (Colorado 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Highlands Ranch’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Among U.S. towns of 72,000 to 138,000, Highlands Ranch ranks 16th of 415 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 3 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Pearland TX | 129,930 | $119K | 4.1% | 3.3% | 10% | A+ |
| 15 | Wheatland Township IL | 92,693 | $173K | 3.2% | 4.0% | 6% | A+ |
| 16 | Highlands Ranch CO | 102,257 | $159K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 9% | A |
| 17 | Apex NC | 80,419 | $144K | 2.2% | 3.8% | 8% | A |
| 18 | Smithtown NY | 116,847 | $153K | 4.2% | 3.9% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Centennial CO | 108,658 | $132K | 3.3% | 4.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Arvada CO | 122,901 | $117K | 5.8% | 3.8% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Castle Rock CO | 83,815 | $145K | 3.8% | 4.4% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 415 | Flint MI | 79,306 | $38K | 34.1% | 14.8% | 20% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Highlands Ranch, the top three, the last and three more from Colorado.
Bordering towns draw 14% of Highlands Ranch’s workers
The biggest share goes to Centennial (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Highlands Ranch workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands Ranch | – | A | A− | 24 min | $159,307 |
| Littleton | 4% | A | A | 25 min | $98,839 |
| Lone Tree | 3% | A | A− | 26 min | $123,741 |
| Acres Green | under 3% | A+ | B+ | 24 min | $142,361 |
| Centennial | 7% | A | A | 26 min | $131,928 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Highlands Ranch’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Highlands Ranch: questions
What is the median household income in Highlands Ranch?
$159,307 (±$4,781) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Highlands Ranch?
2.9%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Highlands Ranch?
24 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Highlands Ranch work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Denver (23%, 16 mi), Centennial (7%, 7 mi), Greenwood Village (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Highlands Ranch walkable?
Highlands Ranch is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 10.5 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Highlands Ranch without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 4% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Highlands Ranch, from the people who make the trip.
More of Highlands Ranch
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.