Should I Move To
Roughly 123,066 people live in Arvada, Colorado. Living here costs expensive relative to the rest of the country, 19% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,706/mo; the typical household pulls in $106,014. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 44/100 — a D, putting it at #691 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Arvada sits at 119 — expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,706/mo against $106,014 median household income), housing eats roughly 19% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $553,000.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is varied: roughly 87°F in summer, 19°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 14 inches. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality reads good (AQI 35).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Arvada isn't the strongest match. It earns 38/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on climate (11/100).
For retirees, Arvada isn't the strongest match. It earns 28/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on climate (11/100).
For remote workers, Arvada isn't the strongest match. It earns 32/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on climate (11/100).
For young professionals, Arvada isn't the strongest match. It earns 41/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on job market (91/100); weakest on climate (11/100).
Arvada, Colorado pulls a 44/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #691 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Arvada's cost-of-living index is 119 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the expensive band — 19% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,706/mo.
Varied — summer averages around 87°F, winter averages around 19°F, with about 14 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 16/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Arvada has about 123,066 residents, 48% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 40.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Arvada head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Arvada stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Arvada with other Colorado cities scored on UrbRank.
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