Should I Move To
Lakewood, Colorado comes in at about 156,149 residents. Cost of living comes out expensive — 19% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,665/mo, and the median household income is about $82,786. Overall, 40/100 on our composite score, which works out to a D, putting it at #806 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.
Cost-of-living index of 119 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's expensive territory. With median rent at $1,665/mo and median household income at $82,786, housing takes about 24% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $494,100.
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. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 35 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Lakewood is a tougher sell for families. The profile-weighted score is 33/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (88/100); the soft spot is safety (5/100).
Lakewood is a tougher sell for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 28/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (88/100); the soft spot is safety (5/100).
Lakewood is a tougher sell for remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 33/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (88/100); the soft spot is safety (5/100).
Lakewood is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 38/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (88/100); the soft spot is safety (5/100).
Our overall score for Lakewood is 40/100 — a D, sitting at #806 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Lakewood sits at 119 — expensive, 19% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,665 a month.
Lakewood runs varied on the weather. Summer's near 87°F, winter's near 19°F; 14 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 43/100. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests.
Roughly 156,149 people live here, with 44% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 38.
Drop Lakewood into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
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 Lakewood with other Colorado cities scored on UrbRank.
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