Should I Move To
Roughly 141,799 people live in Thornton, Colorado. Living here costs expensive relative to the rest of the country, 19% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,758/mo; the typical household pulls in $95,064. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 47/100 — a D, putting it at #594 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, Thornton sits at 119 — expensive when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,758/mo against $95,064 median household income), housing eats roughly 22% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $445,200.
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. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Reported crime is somewhat above average, though specific neighborhoods vary widely. AQI runs about 37 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Thornton isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 34/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (80/100); the soft spot is climate (11/100).
For retirees, Thornton isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 36/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (80/100); the soft spot is climate (11/100).
For remote workers, Thornton isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 38/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (80/100); the soft spot is climate (11/100).
For young professionals, Thornton isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 48/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (80/100); the soft spot is climate (11/100).
Our overall score for Thornton is 47/100 — a D, sitting at #594 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Thornton sits at 119 — expensive, 19% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,758 a month.
Thornton runs varied on the weather. Summer's near 87°F, winter's near 19°F; 14 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 63/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 141,799 people live here, with 31% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 34.
Drop Thornton 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 Thornton with other Colorado cities scored on UrbRank.
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