A recent report from SafeWise sought to determine which Colorado cities were the safest, also addressing how public perception versus reality relates to the topic. Meanwhile, another recent report from SafeHome.org tackled the same topic, addressing ‘safe’ cities, but also the ‘most dangerous’ ones, as well. These two reports combined can provide Coloradans with some interesting information related to where crime tends to be more prevalent around the Centennial State, with another 2024 report from the FBI revealing that crime rates can vary quite a bit from year to year.

Before digging into specific locations, let’s take a look at how Coloradans feel about their safety.

The SafeWise report indicates that 46 percent of Coloradans feel generally safe throughout daily life. While this is below the national average of 48 percent, it is an increase from the 40 percent that this number was at during the 2024 reporting year. It’s also worth noting that while overall crime in Colorado has dropped in recent months, 62 percent of Coloradans believe crime is on the rise.

As far as violent crime goes, 13 percent of Coloradans reported being a victim of this type of crime over a recent eight-month stint, down from 16 percent that reported victimization in 2023 and 19 percent that reported victimization in 2022. This compares to 65 percent of Coloradans that regularly worry about falling victim to a violent crime.

When it comes to property crime, however, 37 percent of Coloradans reported being a victim of this type of crime during the eight months prior to the most recent SafeWise survey. This rose five percentage points compared to a survey conducted during the prior year, with Coloradans reporting the fourth-highest property crime rates nationwide (behind New Mexico, Nevada, and Oklahoma). Package theft was a key factor in this high property crime rate, with 47 percent of Coloradans involved in the SafeWise survey reporting that they’d had a package stolen in recent months – the second-highest rate in the country and above a national average of 37 percent. These numbers compare to 65 percent of individuals that are worried about becoming a victim of property crime, above a national average of 54 percent.

With all of those aforementioned data points considered, here’s a look at the ’10 safest cities’ in Colorado, according to SafeWise. Keep in mind that only 56 population hubs around the state met the criteria to receive a ranking.

1. Gypsum
2. Milliken
3. Windsor
4. Severance
5. Frederick
6. Fruita
7. Erie
8. Castle Rock
9. Woodland Park
10. Eagle

In many of those ‘safest spots,’ violent crime was reported to be close to a non-factor, with all 10 of the aforementioned cities reporting fewer than two violent crimes per 1,000 people.

Now, let’s take a look at the state’s ‘most dangerous’ places, per the August 2025 SafeHome report.

Based on 2023 FBI data that’s used in the SafeHome report, the highest property crime rates during that year were found in Lone Tree, Edgewater, and Sheridan while the highest violent crime rates were found in Pueblo, Denver, and Pagosa Springs. Those familiar with Colorado will be aware of an outlier on that list – Pagosa Springs, a mountain town that’s quite different than the more urbanized counterparts that also made the cut to be included on the list of places with high crime rates. That said, a comparison of 2023 FBI data used in that report and more recent data from 2024 tells a bit of a different story.

Pagosa Springs was determined to have a violent crime rate of 1,015 crimes per 100,000 people per the 2023 data used in the recently published SafeHome report. With a population of less than 2,000 residents, this rate would account for about 18 violent crimes that year. More recent 2024 FBI data, however, indicates that 11 ‘violent crimes’ occurred in Pagosa Springs last year (0 murders, 1 rape, 1 robbery, and 9 aggravated assaults among a population of 1,828), dropping the violent crime rate to about 602 per 100,000 – a 41 percent year-over-year decrease. That’s still higher than the national ‘violent crime’ rate in 2024 of 359.1 violent crimes per 100,000, but the drop was significant.

While Pagosa Springs ranked 3rd for violent crime rate statewide in 2023, 2024 data puts this mountain town’s violent crime rate at 15th statewide among 133 population centers (excluding one spot that’s home to 16 residents and an amusement park). Most of the spots that topped it in 2024 are urban areas, though a couple other mountain towns sneak onto that list, too, including Fairplay and Fraser/Winter Park.

Here’s a list of the 15 places with the highest violent crime rates in Colorado, based on 2024 FBI data:

1. Glendale: 2274.28 violent crimes per 100,000
2. Garden City: 2008.03 violent crimes per 100,000
3. Pueblo: 1424.12 violent crimes per 100,000
4. Denver: 993.03 violent crimes per 100,000
5. Alamosa: 979.20 violent crimes per 100,000
6. Aurora: 947.84 violent crimes per 100,000
7. Sheridan: 924.02 violent crimes per 100,000
8. Fairplay: 810.81 violent crimes per 100,000
9. Commerce City: 790.94 violent crimes per 100,000
10. Lakewood: 787.20 violent crimes per 100,000
11. Trinidad: 770.55 violent crimes per 100,000
12. Colorado Springs: 715.6 violent crimes per 100,000
13. Englewood: 655.15 violent crimes per 100,000
14. Fraser/Winter Park: 637.90 violent crimes per 100,000
15. Pagosa Springs: 601.75 violent crimes per 100,000

• NATIONAL RATE: 359.1 violent crimes per 100,000

As a Coloradan, do these numbers surprise you? Do you think that fear of being victimized by crime in the Centennial State is overhyped or do you think reality warrants the concern? Let us know in the comments.

Find the SafeWise report here and find the SafeHome report here. FBI data from 2024 can be found here.