Denver Crime Rate & Safety Statistics

Denver's overall crime rate sits above the U.S. average, a pattern common to fast-growing Western cities with a large downtown core and a significant transient population. But the citywide number hides enormous internal variation: property crime — especially vehicle theft, which surged across Colorado in recent years — drives much of the total, while the most serious violent offenses remain concentrated in a small number of neighborhoods and corridors.

We translate Denver's crime indices into estimated rates per 100,000 residents using national benchmark rates, then express them as everyday odds (for example, a “1 in N” annual chance). Indices are scaled so that 100 equals the national average: a value of 150 means roughly 50% more of that crime type than a typical U.S. community, while 70 means about 30% less. Letter grades summarize each area on a consistent A-to-F curve calibrated across all U.S. cities.