Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median home value$837,700
Denver $603,800
Median rent$1,953/mo
Denver $1,874/mo
Cost-burdened households33%
Denver 34%
Golden
Jefferson County20,417 residentsJefferson County School District No. R-1
66
C+
Suburbgrade score
12th of 32 Denver suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
66
Denver median 65
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Golden yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 66 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Golden is like to live in, by category
Bars show Golden against Denver. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 68/100
B−
Within-state proficiency88th pct
Denver median 88th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.9
Denver median 17.7
Graduation rate85%
Denver median 85%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Housing cost index112
Denver 100
Eff. tax rate0.49%
Denver 0.55%
Local sales tax7.89%
Denver median 7.89%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 72/100
B−
Mean commute24.4 min
Denver 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes61%
Denver 58%
Transit stops / sq mi3.4
Denver median 2.7 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 72/100
B−
Restaurants & cafés83
Denver median 60 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Denver median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks70
Denver median 77 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 59/100
C
Median household income$98,582
Denver $105,762
Unemployment3.6%
Denver 4.5%
Professional occupations60%
Denver 51%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Golden yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Golden on housing & affordability
Golden's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Greenwood Village18 mi from GoldenB− 75 B Superior13 mi from GoldenC+ 72 B− Columbine13 mi from GoldenC+ 66 C+ Highlands Ranch19 mi from GoldenC+ 74 B Cherry Creek21 mi from GoldenC+ 75 B Centennial21 mi from GoldenC 69 B− Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Golden
Is Golden, CO a good place to live?
Golden scores 66 out of 100, 12th of 32 Denver suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Golden expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $837,700, 39% above the Denver median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.49%. $1,953/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Golden?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Golden sit at the 88th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 85% graduation rate and a 17.9 student–teacher ratio. Golden is served by Jefferson County School District No. R-1. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Golden?
The mean commute is 24.4 min, with 61% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 31% working from home. Transit density is 3.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Golden?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 83 restaurants and cafés and 70 parks, which grades B− on amenities.
Are the homes in Golden old or new?
The median home in Golden was built in 1989 — close to the Denver median of 1987. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 55% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.