Introduction
In the past five years, Colorado’s largest cities have had very different experiences of crime.
Colorado’s violent and property crime rates rose sharply in the early 2020s, prompting varying responses from leaders at state and local levels. Some have been more successful than others, according to the most recently available Colorado Bureau of Investigation data.
CSI analyzed the violent and property crime trends of Colorado’s ten largest cities: Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Thornton, Arvada, Westminster, Pueblo, and Centennial. These ten cities represent just under half the state’s total population, with a combined population of roughly 2.3 million residents. CSI analyzed the average violent and property crime rates per 100,000 people through the first two quarters of each year between 2016 and 2025. Pueblo’s police data is not current and could not be included in the analysis.
Property and violent crime cost the state $27 billion in economic losses in 2022 between the tangible and intangible effects of reported and unreported crime. It is imperative that public leaders continually examine and understand which policies best address crime rates.
Key Findings
- Denver’s violent crime rate is the highest among Colorado’s largest cities, with 235 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
- Aurora’s is second highest, with 203 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
- Aurora’s violent crime has remained beneath Denver’s for three years, breaking the trend of the late 2010s and early 2020s in which Aurora’s rates were higher.
- Only Colorado Springs saw an increase in the violent crime rate between 2022 and 2025.
- Among the largest cities, Aurora saw the sharpest decrease in violent crime rate.
- Aurora saw the second highest decrease in violent crime rate, with a 36% decrease.
- Denver has the highest property crime rate of Colorado’s largest cities, with 1,122 property crimes per 100,000 people.
- Lakewood has the second highest rate, with 1,099 per 100,000 people.
- Aurora and Centennial had the sharpest decreases in property crime rate since 2021, at 56%, 49%, and 44%, respectively.
Violent Crime in Colorado’s Largest Cities
Violent crime is costly for the state of Colorado, as detailed in previous CSI research. Colorado’s statewide violent crime rate peaked in 2022 with 138 violent crimes per 100,000 people. This category includes murder, aggravated assault, robbery, and non-consensual sex assault.
Since then, elected officials have responded to public concerns of violent crime in various ways depending on jurisdiction.
According to the most currently available data from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Denver’s violent crime rate is the highest. Denver’s violent crime rate as reported by the Denver Police Department was 235 violent crimes per 100,000. Aurora’s is second highest with 203 violent crimes per 100,000.
At the lowest end of the violent crime rate is Centennial, with 48 violent crimes per 100,000 and Thornton with 71 per 100,000.
Figure 1
2025 has marked better progress for some cities than others in addressing elevated violent crime rates.
Formerly, Aurora had higher violent crime rates than Denver. Between 2018 and 2022, both cities had higher violent crime rates. In 2023, Aurora’s violent crime rate average in the first two quarters was lower than Denver’s and has remained below Denver’s in each subsequent year.
Figure 2
Between the 2022 violent crime peak and 2025, nearly every one of Colorado’s nine largest cities has seen a decrease in violent crime, though some has seen sharper decreases than others.
Only Colorado Springs saw an increase in the violent crime rate between the first two quarters of 2022 and 2025. In that time, Colorado Springs’ violent crime rate rose by 12%.
Figure 3
Among the other nine largest cities, violent crime rates declined by a range or 6% to 49%. Aurora’s violent crime rate decreased by the highest rate, shrinking 36% between 2022 and 2025. Lakewood’s violent crime rate shrank by an equal measure of 34%.
Denver’s drop in violent crime rate was less marked, with a 14% decline, equivalent to the decline seen by Thornton.
Property Crime in Colorado’s Largest Cities
Property crime consists of theft, larceny, burglary, and fraud.
The average property crime rate from the first two quarters of 2025 was highest in Denver. There were 1,122 property crimes per 100,000 people in the first half of the year. Lakewood has the second highest rate with 1,099 per 100,000.
Centennial has the lowest rate with 494 per 100,000, followed by Fort Collins with 584 per 100,000.
Figure 4
Colorado’s property crime rate has followed a similar trajectory to the violent crime rate in Colorado and its largest cities in that it peaked in the early 2020s and has fallen since then. Since then, every city has seen a decrease except Fort Collins, whose property crime rate remained even.
Figure 5
Centennial had the sharpest decrease in property crime rate, shrinking 49% since 2021. Aurora had the second-sharpest decrease in property crime rate with a 44% decrease.
Fort Collins’ property crime rate was level between 2021 and 2025. Colorado Springs had the second-lowest decline of 22%, followed by Arvada with 31%.
Figure 6
Bottom Line
Colorado’s cities have seen both violent crime rates and property crime rates decrease between their peak in the early 2020s and 2025. However, some cities have seen more dramatic decreases than others. Among them, only Colorado Springs has a higher violent crime rate in 2025 than it did in 2022. Aurora’s violent crime rate is continuing to trend lower than Denver’s which now has the state’s highest violent crime rate, according to the most recently available data. Similarly, Denver’s property crime rate is the highest among Colorado’s cities, though it has declined more rapidly than its violent crime rate.
Public officials should carefully note which policies are associated with decreases in crime and continue attempting to lower rates of both property and violent crime. Both are a costly drag on Colorado’s economy.