Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 156,927, settled in 1889.
For a city of 156,927, Lakewood does unevenly: it grades B−, ranked 97th of 158 in Colorado. Residents are healthier than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its public schools beat 78% of Colorado towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-offs: its crime rate is higher than 97% of U.S. towns, with 1,055 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and the typical home is worth about $550K, 5.2 years of the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. Lakewood’s property crime rate is 44.5 per 1,000 residents, above both Colorado’s towns (15.2) and U.S. towns (9.9). Lakewood is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Lakewood is home to Red Rocks Community College.
Where Lakewood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Lakewood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 19,338 in 1960, 155,984 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1937 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lakewood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
7 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
8 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
7 mi LandmarkColumbine Memorial
7 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 Lakewood, 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 Lakewood.
Lakewood trades workers with Denver and other neighbors, has home values still below their peak and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Colorado.
123 miles of trail in 73 parks and preserves. Lakewood’s trail density is 2.8 miles per square mile. William Frederick Hayden Park, at 2,288 acres with 28.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. William Frederick Hayden Park | 28.7 mi | 2,288 |
| 2. Bear Creek Lake Park | 28.3 mi | 1,803 |
| 3. Belmar Park | 5.1 mi | 134 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Jefferson County School District No. R-1. Three of its 45 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek K-8 SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 863 | B− |
| Lakewood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,735 | A− |
| Dennison Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 575 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in Lakewood is 6.7 per 1,000 residents. Lakewood reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Colorado it is healthier than 58% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
24% of adults have obesity in Lakewood. Lakewood beats the Colorado average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of adults binge drink in Lakewood.
| Lakewood | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 26% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 71% | 79% |
| What stands out | Lakewood | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who get no exercise | 14.9% | 17.7% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 67.8% | 62.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Lakewood has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 20° and about 58 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lakewood has about as many jobs (90,156) as working residents, but only 13,520 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Lakewood for work: only 18% work in town. 23% of Lakewood workers work from home. Jobs based in Lakewood grew to 90,156 in 2023, 13,842 more than in 2013.
| Lakewood | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 7.5% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 16% of residents (21% statewide). 45% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 46% across Colorado.
| Lakewood | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 44% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.2 years | 38.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 15% | 18% |
50.0% women, 50.0% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.6 points. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.2, men 37.4.
| Lakewood | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.1% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.3% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.6% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.6% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.8% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.5% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $550K, is 8% below its June 2022 peak.
The typical Lakewood home is worth about $550,000, down 2.1% in a year, close to the Colorado typical home.
| Lakewood | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,806 a month | $1,812 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 53% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 93 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lakewood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
16 within 15 miles of the center of Lakewood
About 6 of every 100 Lakewood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado.
24.3% of the town is conserved land, across 73 parks and preserves.
7 places in Lakewood on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Lakewood.
Home rule city in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States
Lakewood is the home rule city that is the most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 155,984 at the 2020 U.S. census, making Lakewood the fifth most populous city in Colorado and the 167th most populous city in the United States. Lakewood is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and a major city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. The city has a notable student population, as it is home to three higher education institutions: Colorado Christian University, Red Rocks Community College and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Lakewood is also home to the Denver Federal Center, which houses the larges…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Lakewood.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | #97 | B− | C− | D− | A− | A |
| Applewood | #21 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Denver | #119 | C+ | C− | D− | B− | A |
| Dakota Ridge | #14 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Edgewater | #107 | C+ | C− | D− | A− | A |
| West Pleasant View | #49 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| Wheat Ridge | #100 | B− | C | D | A− | A |
| East Pleasant View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Applewood, Dakota Ridge and West Pleasant View report no FBI crime data of their own. East Pleasant View isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lakewood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lakewood grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #97 of 158 in Colorado. It grades A for health, D− for safety and A− for schools. Safety 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 C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Chris Broderick and Gregg Henry.
