The 25 Best Neighborhoods in Denver in 2023

For years, Denver’s housing market has been hot, hot, hot. And it still is. But, finally, in 2023, we’re seeing median home prices cool a little (at least, in the first half of the year). It’s still a seller’s market, but there’s plenty of inventory for those looking to move around the city or settle in for the first time.

We don’t have to tell you why you might want to. Cough, abundant sunshine, sensational restaurants and bars, a vibrant arts and music scene, and cutting-edge businesses, cough. There is a lot to love about the Mile High lifestyle—not to mention our proximity to those oh-so-appealing Rocky Mountains.

What’s less obvious is exactly where to throw down. Our fifth annual top neighborhoods list is here to help. We evaluated all 78 Denver neighborhoods through our livability formula (see “The Process,” below), which takes into account home values, school quality, safety, and those distinctive aspects that set a place apart like its cultural offerings, food access, bike-ability, open spaces, and more. The result: the 25 best places to live now—and how to enjoy the neighborhood once you put down roots.

Population
713,252
2023 Median Sale Price
for a Single-Family Home

$607,500

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 75, 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 were provided by the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR) and pulled by Molly Polinkovsky, broker associate at West & Main and DMAR Market Trends Committee member. The percentage changes reflect the difference in average closing prices between 2021 and 2022. Three Denver neighborhoods had five or fewer closed home sales in 2022 and were thus excluded from consideration.
  • Crime data: The total number of crimes reported in each neighborhood in 2022 came from the Denver Police Department and is based on definitions from the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). (Note: The data is dynamic. We based our calculations on the statistics available on March 16, 2023.) The figures were then adjusted per capita using population statistics pulled from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2017-2021) estimates, as provided to 5280 by the City and County of Denver.
  • School ratings: The data were taken from the Colorado Department of Education’s 2022 Final School Ratings (SPF). However, in cases where schools had insufficient data to receive an updated rating, we relied on 2021 data. In addition, four schools were not included in the state assessments, which are only administered in grades three through 12; in those instances, we deferred to the most recent data available: Denver Public Schools’ 2019 School Performance Framework. 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 2021–’22 school year were excluded.
  • X factor: We awarded each neighborhood a rating on a scale of one to 10 (10 being the highest).
  • Demographic information: We pulled from the city-provided Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2017-2021) estimates for each neighborhood.

Quick Links to Find Denver's Best

Compare Neighborhoods

Neighborhood Rank Population 2023 Median Sale Price Real Estate Rank Schools Score Crime Rank X Factor Score
Washington Park 1 7,560 $1,633,551 24 4 11 9
Hilltop 2 8,795 $1,620,571 6 4 9 7.5
Berkeley 3 9,070 $950,647 10 3.5 26 9
West Highland 4 9,934 $993,542 18 4 29 8.5
Cherry Creek 5 7,037 $1,578,177 3 4 57 8.5
University 6 10,007 $795,681 29 4 14 7.5
Congress Park 7 11,425 $841,272 40 4 22 8.5
Washington Park West 8 7,645 $1,052,824 33 4 33 8.5
Sloan’s Lake 9 8,244 $934,672 26 4 24 7.5
Rosedale 10 3,021 $863,583 22 4 20 6.5
Southmoor Park 11 6,052 $2,107,857 1 4 30 5.5
Platt Park 12 6,387 $1,021,898 42 4 34 8.5
Highland 13 10,359 $931,686 21 3.7 56 9.5
City Park 14 3,359 $814,979 28 4 54 8.5
Regis 15 5,399 $718,273 17 3.3 19 6.5
Lowry Field 16 9,496 $700,981 19 4 48 7.5
Gateway - Green Valley Ranch 17 42,142 $519,016 35 3.7 8 6.5
Sunnyside 18 10,615 $892,198 5 2.6 36 7.5
Indian Creek 19 4,333 $455,237 30 4 2 4.5
Five Points 20 19,104 $733,647 14 3.3 70 9.5
South Park Hill 21 9,493 $959,876 66 4 13 8
Cole 22 4,888 $712,597 4 4 43 5
North Park Hill 23 11,700 $859,113 27 2.7 3 6
Central Park 24 27,137 $738,865 23 3.7 60 8
Jefferson Park 25 3,435 $787,204 2 3 61 7.5