Most Dangerous Denver Neighborhoods, by the Numbers

Crime appears to be rising across Denver in several troubling categories. And while no neighborhood is immune from such offenses, the problem is most acute in several specific areas, where more than 100 often-violent crimes against persons have been documented during 2024 to date.

This is among the takeaways from the following Denver Police Department statistics for 78 Mile High City neighborhoods and areas. In some neighborhoods, such offenses are exceedingly rare. In others, they're distressingly commonplace.

Denver data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, classifies violent crime as murder, aggravated assault, robbery and murder — and the latest 2024 figures, showing a total of 3,743 violent crimes so far, are just shy of the 3,846 registered in 2023 as a whole with five months to go.

None of the 2024 figures in the separate violent-crime groupings have surpassed those of last year, but both murder and robbery are already within single digits of the 2023 sums, as seen in this Denver Police chart, which also includes information about property crime and more from 2021 to 2024.
Updated neighborhood information is accessible via the DPD's Denver Crime Map. But since November 2022, when Westword published its most recent analysis of neighborhood crime, the map has been redesigned, and several of the changes don't qualify as improvements. Most perplexing is the elimination of the feature that calculated crime density — the number of crimes per square mile. The tool allowed users to compare neighborhoods of all sizes, from the 32 that measure under one square mile to much larger areas such as Northeast Park Hill and Gateway/Green Valley Ranch, both more than five square miles, and Denver International Airport, which is over seventy square miles in size, according to the City Data website, from which our area stats are drawn.

This metric is revealing, so we've done the math for you to offer crime-density digits for each Denver neighborhood, and have also included City Data population estimates to provide an additional frame of reference.

Rather than combining numbers from every crime committed in Denver, including the minor and the major, the ranking below concentrates on three of the most serious types: murder, aggravated assault and other crimes against persons, a catch-all that can include rape, assault with a weapon, malicious wounding, robbery, kidnapping, extortion, stalking, assault and battery, and hazing. The date range selected was January 1 through July 31, 2024.

By this standard, the safest neighborhood in Denver so far this year was Country Club, which has seen just one crime under the selected headings: an aggravated assault. Country Club's crime-density figure works out to just 1.11 crimes per square mile. DIA comes close to this figure, at 1.17 per square mile, but only because of its vast size; 82 aggravated assaults or other crimes against persons have been reported there in 2024. And nine other Denver neighborhoods have crime-density digits below ten over the past seven months.

On the other end of the scale, eleven neighborhoods have registered more than 100 crimes: Northeast Park Hill, North Capitol Hill, Central Business District/CBD, Westwood, Montbello, East Colfax, Lincoln Park, Capitol Hill, Gateway/Green Valley Ranch, Civic Center, and Five Points. Also in triple digits is Union Station, which isn't an official Denver neighborhood but has been included by the DPD in recent years owing to concerns about the level of crime at the facility.

The crime-density metric helps put the raw numbers into perspective. For instance, Five Points registered the highest number of offenses (316) in the three categories. But because of its relatively large size of 2.318 square miles, its crime-density of 136.32 per square mile, while alarming, landed it in 72nd place out of a possible 78.

At the bottom of the list are Union Station and Civic Center, which crammed 153 and 188 crimes, respectively, into spaces measuring under half a square mile. Their resulting crime-density performances are by far the worst in Denver, with Union Station notching nearly 350 per square mile and ballooning beyond 600.

Here's data for the 78 Denver neighborhoods, ranked from lowest- to highest-crime density, from January 1 to July 31:

1. Country Club
Aggravated Assault: 1
Other Crimes Against Persons: 0
Murder: 0
Total: 1
Population: 3,947
Area: 0.898 square miles
Crime Density: 1.11 per square mile

2. DIA
Other Crimes Against Persons: 54
Aggravated Assault: 28
Murder: 0
Total: 82
Population: 500
Area: 70.131 square miles
Crime Density: 1.17 per square mile

3. Wellshire
Other Crimes Against Persons: 1
Aggravated Assault: 1
Murder: 0
Total: 2
Population: 3,611
Area: 0.988 square miles
Crime Density: 2.02 per square mile

4. Marston
Other Crimes Against Persons: 7
Aggravated Assault: 5
Murder: 1
Total: 13
Population: 15,530
Area: 6.075 miles
Crime Density: 2.14 per square mile

5. Indian Creek
Aggravated Assault: 2
Other Crimes Against Persons: 1
Murder: 1
Total: 4
Population: 6,417
Area: 1.122 square miles
Crime Density: 3.57 per square mile

6. Hilltop
Other Crimes Against Persons: 8
Aggravated Assault: 4
Murder: 0
Total: 12
Population: 10,762
Area: 2.250 square miles
Crime Density: 5.33 per square mile

7. Washington Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 4
Aggravated Assault: 3
Murder: 0
Total: 7
Population: 6,295
Area: 1.248 square miles
Crime Density: 5.6 per square mile

8. Fort Logan
Other Crimes Against Persons: 20
Aggravated Assault: 9
Murder: 0
Total: 29
Population: 13,325
Area: 3.547 square miles
Crime Density: 8.18 per square mile

9. Berkeley
Other Crimes Against Persons: 10
Aggravated Assault: 3
Murder: 0
Total: 13
Population: 9.140
Area: 1.529 square miles
Crime Density: 8.5 per square mile

10. Regis
Aggravated Assault: 7
Other Crimes Against Persons: 4
Murder: 0
Total: 11
Population: 1,834
Area: 1.194 square miles
Crime Density: 9.21 per square mile

11. Belcaro
Other Crimes Against Persons: 5
Aggravated Assault: 5
Murder: 0
Total: 10
Population: 3,918
Area: 1.074 square miles
Crime Density: 9.31 per square mile

12. Lowry Field
Aggravated Assault: 18
Other Crimes Against Persons: 18
Murder: 0
Total: 36
Population: 18,121
Area: 3.229 square miles
Crime Density: 11.15 per square mile

13. Chaffee Park
Aggravated Assault: 7
Other Crimes Against Persons: 4
Murder: 0
Total: 11
Population: 4,179
Area: 0.978 square miles
Crime Density: 11.25 per square mile

14. West Highland
Aggravated Assault: 8
Other Crimes Against Persons: 5
Murder: 0
Total: 13
Population: 10,226
Area: 1.112 square miles
Crime Density: 11.7 per square mile

15. University Hills
Other Crimes Against Persons: 10
Aggravated Assault: 8
Murder: 0
Total: 18
Population: 7,104
Area: 1.537 square miles
Crime Density: 11.71 per square mile

16. Overland
Aggravated Assault: 14
Other Crimes Against Persons: 10
Murder: 0
Total: 24
Population: 4,333
Area: 2.049 square miles
Crime Density: 11.71 per square mile

17. Bear Valley
Aggravated Assault: 14
Other Crimes Against Persons: 14
Murder: 0
Total: 28
Population: 11,521
Area: 2.394 square miles
Crime Density: 11.7 per square mile

18. Southmoor Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 7
Aggravated Assault: 5
Murder: 0
Total: 12
Population: 3,684
Area: 0.972 square miles
Crime Density: 12.35 per square mile

19. Washington Park West
Other Crimes Against Persons: 7
Aggravated Assault: 4
Murder: 0
Total: 11
Population: 7,150
Area: 0.871 square miles
Crime Density: 12.63 per square mile

20. Central Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 82
Aggravated Assault: 71
Murder: 1
Total: 154
Population: 52,490
Area: 12.141 square miles
Crime Density: 12.68 per square mile

21. North Park Hill
Aggravated Assault: 12
Other Crimes Against Persons: 7
Murder: 0
Total: 19
Population: 10,905
Area: 1.467 square miles
Crime Density: 12.95 per square mile

22. University
Other Crimes Against Persons: 13
Aggravated Assault: 6
Murder: 0
Total: 19
Population: 10,234
Area: 1.369 square miles
Crime Density: 13.88 per square mile

23. Cory-Merrill
Other Crimes Against Persons: 12
Aggravated Assault: 0
Murder: 0
Total: 12
Population: 5,254
Area: 0.840 square miles
Crime Density: 14.29 per square mile

24. Platt Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 8
Aggravated Assault: 4
Murder: 0
Total: 12
Population: 5,313
Area: 0.817 square miles
Crime Density: 14.69 per square mile

25. South Park Hill
Other Crimes Against Persons: 14
Aggravated Assault: 8
Murder: 0
Total: 22
Population: 9,932
Area: 1.494 square miles
Crime Density: 14.73 per square mile

26. University Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 11
Aggravated Assault: 6
Murder: 1
Total: 18
Population: 8,085
Area: 1.165 square miles
Crime Density: 15.45 per square mile

27. Hampden South
Other Crimes Against Persons: 26
Aggravated Assault: 21
Murder: 0
Total: 47
Population: 15,257
Area: 3.004 square miles
Crime Density: 15.65 per square mile

28. Skyland
Aggravated Assault: 7
Other Crimes Against Persons: 6
Murder: 0
Total: 13
Population: 1,936
Area: 0.774 square miles
Crime Density: 16.8 per square mile

29. Globeville
Other Crimes Against Persons: 27
Aggravated Assault: 22
Murder: 0
Total: 49
Population: 3,733
Area: 2.819 square miles
Crime Density: 17.38 per square mile

30. Elyria-Swansea
Aggravated Assault: 31
Other Crimes Against Persons: 30
Murder: 1
Total: 62
Population: 1,680
Area: 3.144 square miles
Crime Density: 19.72 per square mile

31. Sloan's Lake
Other Crimes Against Persons: 14
Aggravated Assault: 13
Murder: 1
Total: 28
Population: 3,342
Area: 1.390 square miles
Crime Density: 20.14 per square mile

32. Rosedale
Other Crimes Against Persons: 9
Aggravated Assault: 2
Murder: 0
Total: 11
Population: 2,674
Area: 0.542 square miles
Crime Density: 20.3 per square mile

33. Northeast Park Hill
Other Crimes Against Persons: 62
Aggravated Assault: 40
Murder: 1
Total: 103
Population: 10,804
Area: 5.018 square miles
Crime Density: 20.53 per square mile

34. Hampden
Other Crimes Against Persons: 52
Aggravated Assault: 43
Murder: 1
Total: 96
Population: 25,228
Area: 4.316 square miles
Crime Density: 22.24 per square mile

35. Harvey Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 26
Aggravated Assault: 24
Murder: 0
Total: 50
Population: 12,087
Area: 2.192 square miles
Crime Density: 22.81 per square mile

36. City Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 10
Aggravated Assault: 8
Murder: 0
Total: 18
Population: 2,460
Area: 0.778 square miles
Crime Density: 23.14 per square mile

37. Cherry Creek
Other Crimes Against Persons: 11
Aggravated Assault: 10
Murder: 0
Total: 21
Population: 2,740
Area: 0.856 square miles
Crime Density: 25.53 per square mile

38. Virginia Village
Other Crimes Against Persons: 29
Aggravated Assault: 23
Murder: 0
Total: 52
Population: 12,461
Area: 1.985 square miles
Crime Density: 26.2 per square mile

39. Montclair
Other Crimes Against Persons: 15
Aggravated Assault: 5
Murder: 0
Total: 20
Population: 5,934
Area: 0.748 square miles
Crime Density: 26.74 per square mile

40. College View-South Platte
Aggravated Assault: 26
Other Crimes Against Persons: 26
Murder: 1
Total: 53
Population: 1,737
Area: 1.932 square miles
Crime Density: 27.43 per square mile

41. Gateway/Green Valley Ranch
Other Crimes Against Persons: 83
Aggravated Assault: 79
Murder: 1
Total: 163
Population: 36,555
Area: 5.706 square miles
Crime Density: 28.57 per square mile

42. Barnum West
Other Crimes Against Persons: 11
Aggravated Assault: 9
Murder: 1
Total: 21
Population: 5,141
Area: 0.727 square miles
Crime Density: 28.89 per square mile

43. Harvey Park South
Other Crimes Against Persons: 26
Aggravated Assault: 19
Murder: 0
Total: 45
Population: 6,590
Area: 1.475 square miles
Crime Density: 30.51 per square mile

44. Athmar Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 25
Aggravated Assault: 23
Murder: 0
Total: 48
Population: 8,450
Area: 1.539 square miles
Crime Density: 31.19 per square mile

45. Congress Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 21
Aggravated Assault: 13
Murder: 0
Total: 34
Population: 11,617
Area: 1.044 square miles
Crime Density: 32.57 per square mile

46. Washington Virginia Vale
Other Crimes Against Persons: 51
Aggravated Assault: 31
Murder: 1
Total: 83
Population: 10,326
Area: 2.474 square miles
Crime Density: 33.55 per square mile

47. Goldsmith
Other Crimes Against Persons: 21
Aggravated Assault: 14
Murder: 1
Total: 36
Population: 5,816
Area: 1.054 square miles
Crime Density: 34.16 per square mile

48. Windsor
Aggravated Assault: 32
Other Crimes Against Persons: 30
Murder: 1
Total: 63
Population: 7,560
Area: 1.806 square miles
Crime Density: 34.89 per square mile

49. Highland
Other Crimes Against Persons: 31
Aggravated Assault: 10
Murder: 0
Total: 41
Population: 11,170
Area: 1.147 square miles
Crime Density: 35.75 per square mile

50. Clayton
Other Crimes Against Persons: 15
Aggravated Assault: 13
Murder: 0
Total: 28
Population: 4,540
Area: 0.779 square miles
Crime Density: 35.94 per square mile

51. Hale
Other Crimes Against Persons: 16
Aggravated Assault: 11
Murder: 0
Total: 27
Population: 5,329
Area: 0.734 square miles
Crime Density: 36.78 per square mile

52. Sunnyside
Other Crimes Against Persons: 31
Aggravated Assault: 22
Murder: 0
Total: 53
Population: 10,085
Area: 1.435 square miles
Crime Density: 36.93 per square mile

53. Valverde
Other Crimes Against Persons: 21
Aggravated Assault: 13
Murder: 1
Total: 35
Population: 7,314
Area: 0.947 square miles
Crime Density: 36.96 per square mile

54. Montbello
Aggravated Assault: 78
Other Crimes Against Persons: 53
Murder: 1
Total: 132
Population: 35,269
Area: 3.505 square miles
Crime Density: 37.66 per square mile

55. Mar Lee
Other Crimes Against Persons: 30
Aggravated Assault: 27
Murder: 0
Total: 57
Population: 13,463
Area: 1.504 square miles
Crime Density: 37.9 per square mile

56. Kennedy
Other Crimes Against Persons: 22
Aggravated Assault: 11
Murder: 0
Total: 33
Population: 3,232
Area: 0.851 square miles
Crime Density: 38.78 per square mile

57. Ruby Hill
Other Crimes Against Persons: 33
Aggravated Assault: 25
Murder: 1
Total: 59
Population: 9,668
Area: 1.435 square miles
Crime Density: 41.11 per square mile

58. Baker
Aggravated Assault: 33
Other Crimes Against Persons: 30
Murder: 0
Total: 63
Population: 9,413
Area: 1.520 square miles
Crime Density: 41.45 per square mile

59. Barnum
Aggravated Assault: 19
Other Crimes Against Persons: 18
Murder: 0
Total: 37
Population: 5,368
Area: 0.784 square miles
Crime Density: 47.19 per square mile

60. Villa Park
Aggravated Assault: 28
Other Crimes Against persons: 19
Murder: 0
Total: 47
Population: 7,315
Area: 0.914 square miles
Crime Density: 51.42 per square mile

61. Jefferson Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 14
Aggravated Assault: 13
Murder: 1
Total: 28
Population: 918
Area: 0.495 square miles
Crime Density: 56.57 per square mile

62. Whittier
Other Crimes Against Persons: 23
Aggravated Assault: 10
Murder: 1
Total: 34
Population: 4,781
Area: 0.569 square miles
Crime Density: 59.75 per square mile

63. Cole
Aggravated Assault: 22
Other Crimes Against Persons: 11
Murder: 1
Total: 34
Population: 4,980
Area: 0.518 square miles
Crime Density: 65.64 per square mile

64. Auraria
Other Crimes Against Persons: 34
Aggravated Assault: 7
Murder: 0
Total: 41
Population: 1, 204
Area: 0.615 square miles
Crime Density: 66.67 per square mile

65. Cheesman Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 26
Aggravated Assault: 12
Murder: 0
Total: 38
Population: 8,742
Area: 0.519 square miles
Crime Density: 73.22 per square mile

66. Speer
Other Crimes Against Persons: 26
Aggravated Assault: 13
Murder: 1
Total: 40
Population: 6,332
Area: 0.542 square miles
Crime Density: 73.8 per square mile

67. Westwood
Other Crimes Against Persons: 57
Aggravated Assault: 56
Murder: 0
Total: 113
Population: 11,649
Area: 1.504 square miles
Crime Density: 75.13 per square mile

68. Sun Valley
Other Crimes Against Persons: 35
Aggravated Assault: 16
Murder: 0
Total: 51
Population: 1,127
Area: 0.649 square miles
Crime Density: 78.58 per square mile

69. West Colfax
Aggravated Assault: 50
Other Crimes Against Persons: 46
Murder: 0
Total: 96
Population: 8,042
Area: 1.058 square miles
Crime Density: 90.74 per square mile

70. East Colfax
Other Crimes Against Persons: 72
Aggravated Assault: 59
Murder: 2
Total: 133
Population: 7,766
Area: 1.332 square miles
Crime Density: 99.85 per square mile

71. Lincoln Park
Other Crimes Against Persons: 83
Aggravated Assault: 53
Murder: 1
Total: 137
Population: 5,806
Area: 1.263 square miles
Crime Density: 108.47 per square mile

72. Five Points
Other Crimes Against Persons: 189
Aggravated Assault: 125
Murder: 2
Total: 316
Population: 18,425
Area: 2.318 square miles
Crime Density: 136.32 per square mile

73. Capitol Hill
Other Crimes Against Persons: 84
Aggravated Assault: 53
Murder: 0
Total: 137
Population: 9,478
Area: 0.999 square miles
Crime Density: 137.18 per square mile

74. North Capitol Hill
Other Crimes Against Persons: 67
Aggravated Assault: 36
Murder: 0
Total: 103
Population: 5,108
Area: 0.640
Crime Density: 160.94 per square mile

75. City Park West
Other Crimes Against Persons: 48
Aggravated Assault: 41
Murder: 3
Total: 92
Population: 3,498
Area: 0.511 square miles
Crime Density: 180 per square mile

76. CBD
Other Crimes Against Persons: 74
Aggravated Assault: 35
Murder: 0
Total: 109
Population: 1,140
Area: 0.521 square miles
Crime Density: 209.21 per square mile

77. Union Station
Other Crimes Against Persons: 96
Aggravated Assault: 57
Murder: 0
Total: 153
Population: N/A
Area: 0.439 square miles
Crime Density: 348.52 per square mile

78. Civic Center
Other Crimes Against Persons: 133
Aggravated Assault: 53
Murder: 0
Total: 186
Population: 66
Area: 0.304 square miles
Crime Density: 611.84 per square mile