The 25 Best Neighborhoods in Denver in 2026

By Jessica Giles and Staff

Each of Denver’s neighborhoods has a distinct personality, which means every hamlet offers something a little different. But with 78 official neighborhoods to sift through, it can be hard to pick just one part of the Mile High City to call home. That’s where we come in. Every year, we evaluate each neighborhood through our livability formula (see “The Process”), taking into account statistics on home values, school performance, and safety, plus those hard-to-quantify qualities like cultural offerings, food access, walkability, green spaces, and more.

Safe, expensive neighborhoods dominated last year’s list, but this year’s top 25 is a more well-rounded roster, including a mixture of quiet residential regions, like Hilltop and University Park, alongside more lively locales, such as Baker and Union Station. Michelle Schwinghammer, a broker associate with West & Main Homes and Denver Metro Association of Realtors Market Trends Committee member, says 2025 was a “recalibration year” for the city’s real estate scene, as evidenced by only 13 of Denver’s 78 neighborhoods seeing an increase in both the average closing price and the number of properties sold.

This year’s selling season is off to a stronger start, but the volatile global political landscape, shifting interest rates, and affordability pressures make it difficult to predict exactly what’s in store for sellers and aspiring homeowners. One thing that seems to be holding true: “In 2026, more sellers are making moves motivated by lifestyle changes, prompting many to recalibrate unrealistic sales expectations, price reasonably, and move on to their next chapter with a solid return,” Schwinghammer says. Our guide to Denver’s best neighborhoods can help you home in on where to put down roots—and how to enjoy yourself once you’re there.

Denver Population
713,734
2025 Average Home Sale Price
$735,619

The Process

Here’s how we create our annual 25 Best Neighborhoods list.

Our ranking is based on four variables: home prices, crime data, school rankings, and an X factor score that accounts for things that can’t be as easily quantified, such as access to open space, public transportation, and restaurants and shops. Each category is weighted: 30 percent for year-over-year percentage change in home values; 25 percent for safety; 15 percent for neighborhood school ratings; and 30 percent for the X factor. Our initial list of 78 neighborhoods (which was whittled down to 76, as you’ll read below) is based on the city of Denver’s official map. That’s why you won’t see areas like LoHi or RiNo listed; officially, they’re not considered their own neighborhoods, despite what locals might say.

  • Average home sale prices: The data was provided by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR) and pulled by Michelle Schwinghammer, a broker associate with West + Main Homes and DMAR Market Trends Committee member. The percentage changes reflect the difference in average closing prices between 2024 and 2025; neighborhoods were then ranked, one to 76, from biggest jump to biggest decline. Two Denver neighborhoods (Auraria and Sun Valley) had five or fewer closed home sales in 2025 and were thus excluded from consideration.
  • Safety rank: The total number of crimes reported in each neighborhood in 2025 came from the Denver Police Department and is based on definitions from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The figures were then adjusted per capita using the most recent population statistics available on the Neighborhood Dashboard maintained by the City of Denver’s Community Planning and Development office. Finally, neighborhoods were ranked from lowest crime per capita (one) to highest crime per capita (76).
  • School ratings: The data was taken from the Colorado Department of Education’s 2025 Final School Ratings (SPF). In addition, four schools were excluded that did not administer state assessments (which are only administered for grades three through 12). We awarded the public schools a numerical score based on their state ratings—four was the highest (correlating to “Performance Plan” in the state SPF report) and one was the lowest (“Turnaround Plan” in the report)—and then averaged them to generate a neighborhood score. For neighborhoods that did not have schools within their boundaries, we averaged the ratings of the schools in adjacent neighborhoods. Schools that closed during the 2024–’25 school year were excluded.
  • X factor: We awarded each neighborhood a rating on a scale of one to 10 (10 being the highest) for qualitative factors such as green spaces, walkability, restaurant and retail offerings, and public transportation.

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Compare Neighborhoods

Neighborhood Rank Population 2025 Average Sale Price Real Estate Rank Schools Score Safety Rank X Factor Score
Washington Park 1 7,672 $1,894,173 9 4 7 9
Washington Park West 2 7,978 $1,093,388 4 4 21 8.5
South Park Hill 3 9,087 $1,184,707 7 4 16 8
Platt Park 4 7,078 $1,079,419 29 4 14 8.5
City Park 5 3,799 $913,765 1 4 54 8.5
Congress Park 6 11,232 $909,039 20 4 38 8.5
West Highland 7 10,546 $978,623 31 4 26 8.5
Wellshire 8 3,269 $1,399,398 28 4 1 6
Hilltop 9 9,475 $2,022,680 16 3.7 3 6
Skyland 10 3,427 $705,706 3 3.3 24 7
Baker 11 6,604 $651,095 11 4 66 8.5
Southmoor Park 12 6,271 $827,893 27 4 13 6
Cherry Creek 13 6,153 $1,825,692 17 4 61 8.5
City Park West 14 6,033 $709,076 5 4 67 8
Lowry Field 15 9,925 $828,446 24 4 36 7.5
Speer 16 12,867 $603,562 18 4 44 7.5
University 17 9,389 $827,368 46 4 15 7.5
Sunnyside 18 9,854 $854,147 6 3.2 39 7.5
Regis 19 4,626 $713,960 40 4 9 6
University Park 20 8,436 $1,637,854 38 4 12 6
Indian Creek 21 4,090 $453,631 26 4 2 4.5
Union Station 22 10,271 $816,768 10 3.6 71 9
North Park Hill 23 10,964 $802,525 18 2.7 4 6
Five Points 24 22,761 $659,955 14 3.7 72 9.5
Berkeley 25 9,168 $950,092 67 4 27 9