Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For a city of 116,182, Westminster does well: it grades B, 76th of 158 graded towns in Colorado. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 90% of the country and the median household earns $100K. The trade-offs: its crime rate is higher than 88% of U.S. towns, with 326 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and homes are expensive, about $511K for a typical one and 4.8 times the Denver metro’s $106K median household income. 32% of the land in Westminster is conserved, against 6.8% in Colorado’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Westminster is home to Front Range Community College. Only 16 of Colorado’s 218 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Westminster beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1859, comes before those of 89% of the Colorado towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 235 in 1920, 116,317 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1972 and 6 maps from 1941 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Colorado), ordered by how far Westminster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westminster. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
10 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
9 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
10 mi Stadium & arenaDick's Sporting Goods Park
9 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 · Dick's Sporting Goods Park: Tom Pratt, CC BY 2.0 · Elitch Gardens Theme Park: USGS, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westminster, 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 Westminster.
Westminster fares better on crime within Colorado than nationally, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Colorado and trades workers with Denver and other neighbors.
Its 6,910 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 95% of Colorado towns.
94 miles of trail in 55 parks and preserves. Westminster’s trail density is 2.8 miles per square mile, where Colorado’s towns sit at 1.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Westminster Hills Open Space, at 1,035 acres with 19.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Westminster Hills Open Space | 19.5 mi | 1,035 |
| 2. Big Dry Creek Open Space | 6.9 mi | 793 |
| 3. Metzger Farm Open Space | 2 mi | 151 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Three of its 36 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Hills Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 965 | C |
| Westminster High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,010 | C |
| Ryan Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 511 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CO on state tests and graduation
Within Colorado it is healthier than 53% of the 159 graded towns: Colorado sets a high bar.
26% of Westminster adults have high blood pressure. Westminster beats the Colorado average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 72% of Westminster adults had a checkup this year.
| Westminster | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 27% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 71% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Westminster | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.6% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 45.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 71% of Colorado’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 4,463 to 3,642 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Westminster is 28.8 per 1,000 residents. Westminster reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less. The violent crime rate in Westminster is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Westminster | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Westminster has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Westminster’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Westminster has about as many jobs (49,227) as working residents, but only 5,292 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Westminster for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Westminster grew to 49,227 in 2023, 7,948 more than in 2013. 22% of workers work from home in Westminster.
| Westminster | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 8.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Westminster.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Colorado average. 45% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 46% across Colorado.
| Westminster | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 44% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.4 years | 38.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 15% | 18% |
49.9% women, 50.1% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.9 points. Across Colorado, 49.3% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.4, men 36.5.
| Westminster | CO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9% | 10.1% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.5% | 15.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 14.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 11.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 9.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.8% | 5.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 7.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.4% | 19.7% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 19.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.3% | 28.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.3% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical value, about $511K, is 9% below its July 2022 peak.
The typical Westminster home is worth about $511,000, down 1.8% in a year, close to the Colorado typical home.
| Westminster | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,882 a month | $1,807 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 71% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 51% | 53% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14 within 15 miles of the center of Westminster
About 5 of every 100 Westminster residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Colorado.
6 places in Westminster on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Westminster.
Home rule city in Adams and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States
Westminster is a home rule city located in Adams and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 116,317 at the 2020 United States census with 71,240 residing in Adams County and 45,077 residing in Jefferson County. Westminster is the eighth most populous city in Colorado. The city is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. The Westminster Municipal Center is located 9 miles (14 km) north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Westminster.
| Town | CO rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | #76 | B | C | D | A− | A |
| Broomfield | #45 | A− | C− | C+ | A− | A+ |
| Arvada | #64 | B+ | C− | C− | A− | A |
| Berkley | #144 | C− | C− | — | D | B |
| Twin Lakes | #125 | C | C− | — | D | B+ |
| Shaw Heights | #134 | C− | C− | — | D | B+ |
| Sherrelwood | #126 | C | C | — | D | B |
| Northglenn | #109 | C+ | C− | D | B+ | B+ |
Berkley, Twin Lakes, Shaw Heights and Sherrelwood report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Westminster with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Westminster grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #76 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.
5 notable people were born here, including Lars Sullivan and Derrick Martin.
