Should I Move To
Highlands Ranch, Colorado comes in at about 101,514 residents. Cost of living comes out expensive — 21% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $2,353/mo, and the median household income is about $148,227. Overall, 43/100 on our composite score, which works out to a D, putting it at #714 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
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.
Cost-of-living index of 121 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's expensive territory. With median rent at $2,353/mo and median household income at $148,227, housing takes about 19% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $637,400.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect varied weather — summers near 87°F, winters around 19°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 14 inches annually. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Air quality reads good (AQI 35).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Highlands Ranch is a tougher sell for families. It earns 40/100 (grade F) on the families profile. Strongest on education (94/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
Highlands Ranch is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 21/100 (grade F) on the retirees profile. Strongest on education (94/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
Highlands Ranch is a tougher sell for remote workers. It earns 26/100 (grade F) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on education (94/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
Highlands Ranch is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 39/100 (grade F) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on education (94/100); weakest on walkability (8/100).
Highlands Ranch, Colorado pulls a 43/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #714 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Highlands Ranch's cost-of-living index is 121 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the expensive band — 21% above the national average. Median rent runs about $2,353/mo.
Varied — summer averages around 87°F, winter averages around 19°F, with about 14 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 8/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Highlands Ranch has about 101,514 residents, 66% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 41.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Highlands Ranch 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 Highlands Ranch 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 Highlands Ranch with other Colorado cities scored on UrbRank.
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