Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lafayette grades B+ overall, ranked 51st of 158 in Colorado. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country. Its schools outperform 93% of the state's and the median household earns $119K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $665K for a typical one and 6.4 times the Boulder metro’s $104K median household income. Lafayette’s trail density is 3.5 miles per square mile, against 1.3 in Colorado’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Lafayette is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Lafayette has 8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Miller House and Congregational Church.
Where Lafayette beats most towns.
24,453 counted in 2010 and 30,411 in 2020; an estimated 30,116 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 24.4% 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 Lafayette is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 410 in 1890, 30,411 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1888 and 4 maps from 1940 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lafayette. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
18 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
17 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
27 mi National ParkRocky Mountain National Park4.2M visitors a year
9 mi Stadium & arenaFolsom FieldRed 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 · Rocky Mountain National Park: Charles M. Sauer -- Charlessauer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Folsom Field: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lafayette, 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 Lafayette.
Lafayette carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Colorado (mostly inland flooding) and has schools in the top 5% of Colorado, but it reports more crime than Broomfield and its other graded neighbors.
33 miles of trail in 28 parks and preserves. Waneka Park, at 97 acres with 1.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waneka Park | 1.7 mi | 97 |
| 2. Rothman Open Space | 1.1 mi | 74 |
| 3. Whitetail Park | 0.8 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A ranks #6 of the 159 Colorado towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $665K.
Its public schools are run by the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angevine Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 619 | B |
| Centaurus High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,557 | A |
| Peak to Peak Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,447 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
17% of adults have obesity in Lafayette, where Colorado’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 35%. 24% of Lafayette adults sleep under 7 hours. Lafayette beats the Colorado average on 15 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Lafayette | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 26% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 27% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lafayette | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with obesity | 17.4% | 26.1% |
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 11.9% | 17.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of Colorado towns, with expected losses of about $67 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
Lafayette’s FEMA risk score is 15 of 100. Since 2011, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lafayette.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Broomfield (C+) to Erie (B+). Reported crimes fell from 969 to 570 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Lafayette is 2.8 per 1,000 residents. Within Colorado, it does better than 42% of towns. The property crime rate in Lafayette is 15.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Lafayette | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $665K, is 9% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical Lafayette home is worth about $665,000, down 0.8% in a year, 26% above the Colorado typical home. 66% of households own their home in Lafayette.
| Lafayette | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,121 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Lafayette has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 19° and about 65 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lafayette has about as many jobs (14,415) as working residents, but only 1,324 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 9,183 in 2013 to 14,415.
Most working residents leave Lafayette for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Lafayette has added 5,232 jobs, to 14,415 in 2023. The top destinations are Boulder (23%), Denver (10%) and Louisville (7%).
| Lafayette | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $119,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
5 within 15 miles of the center of Lafayette
About 7 of every 100 Lafayette residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado.
21.5% of the town is conserved land, across 28 parks and preserves.
8 places in Lafayette on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Lafayette.
City in Colorado, United States
The City of Lafayette ( LA(H)F-ee-ET) is a home rule municipality located in southeastern Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 30,411 at the 2020 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lafayette.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B+; Broomfield (A−) is closest.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | #51 | B+ | D | C− | A | A+ |
| Erie | #8 | A | D | B+ | A− | A+ |
| Louisville | #24 | A | D | C+ | A | A+ |
| Broomfield | #45 | A− | C− | C+ | A− | A+ |
| Leyner | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Leyner isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lafayette with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lafayette grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #51 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 42% 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Bob Beauprez and Marilyn Sitzman.
