Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 46,246, settled in 1869.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Littleton grades B+ overall, ranked 54th of 158 in Colorado. It has 43 miles of trail. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns and its public schools beat 95% of Colorado towns on state tests and graduation. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $612K for a typical one and 5.8 times the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. Littleton’s trail density is 3.1 miles per square mile, where Colorado’s towns sit at 1.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Littleton is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. Littleton is home to Arapahoe Community College.
Where Littleton beats most towns.
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Littleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 100 in 1880, 45,652 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 5 maps from 1942 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Littleton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
11 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
12 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
3 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 Littleton, 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 Littleton.
Littleton has schools in the top 5% of Colorado, has home values still below their peak and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
South Platte Park, at 419 acres with 10.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 36 parks and preserves cover 834 acres in Littleton.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Platte Park | 10.7 mi | 419 |
| 2. Ketring Park | 1.5 mi | 60 |
| 3. Wynetka Ponds Park | 1.3 mi | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade ranks #2 of the 159 Colorado towns we grade for schools. It comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $613K.
Below: Three of its 11 schools, each with why it was picked. Public schools: the Littleton School District No. 6. 4 public schools serve Littleton, with 1,710 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euclid Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 631 | A− |
| Heritage High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,748 | A |
| Littleton AcademyTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 455 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
In Littleton, 9% of adults smoke cigarettes. Littleton: 24% of adults have obesity, below both the Colorado town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). CDC measures, 26 in all: Littleton beats Colorado on 8 and trails on 1. Among adults here, 15% get no exercise outside work and 29% sleep under 7 hours.
| Littleton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 26% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Littleton | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8.5% | 11.1% |
| Fewer smokers | 9% | 10.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 7.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 1,330 to 1,035 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Littleton’s rate of thefts and burglaries is 20.8 per 1,000 residents. Within Colorado, it does better than 44% of towns.
| Littleton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its midsummer high stands at 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Littleton’s income of the median household comes in at $99,000. Most working residents leave Littleton for work: only 11% work in town. The share of workers in Littleton who work from home: 23%. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 1,493, to 30,923.
| Littleton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 23% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $99,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 7.5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $613K, is 7% below its June 2022 peak.
61% of households live in a home they own in Littleton. Home values are down 1.6% over the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: in Littleton, the median rent is $1,819 a month.
| Littleton | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 71% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,819 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of the losses FEMA expects in Littleton, 43% come from inland flooding and 34% from hail. Compared with 58% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is higher. This Colorado town has had 11 paid flood insurance claims since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
18 within 15 miles of the center of Littleton
About 4 of every 100 Littleton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
22.1% of the town is conserved land, across 36 parks and preserves.
7 places in Littleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
30 notable people were born in Littleton.
City in Colorado, United States
Littleton is a home rule municipality city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city population was 45,652 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the 20th most populous municipality in Colorado.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Littleton.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littleton | #54 | B+ | C− | C− | A+ | A+ |
| Centennial | #36 | A− | C− | C+ | A | A+ |
| Highlands Ranch | #3 | A+ | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Columbine Valley | — | — | C− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Englewood | #131 | C | C | D− | C− | A |
| Columbine | #20 | A | C− | — | A− | A+ |
| Bow Mar | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Denver | #119 | C+ | C− | D− | B− | A |
Columbine Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Highlands Ranch, Columbine Valley and Columbine report no FBI crime data of their own. Bow Mar isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Littleton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Littleton grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #54 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 C−.
Within Colorado, it does better than 44% 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 C−.
30 notable people were born here, including Ross Lynch and Dave Grusin.
