Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 66/100
C+
Median home value$712,700
Denver $603,800
Median rent$2,531/mo
Denver $1,874/mo
Cost-burdened households27%
Denver 34%
Highlands Ranch
Douglas County102,257 residentsDouglas County School District No. Re 1
74
B
Suburbgrade score
3rd of 32 Denver suburbs. Strong on schools and amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
74
Denver median 65
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Highlands Ranch yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 74 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 Highlands Ranch is like to live in, by category
Bars show Highlands Ranch against Denver. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 82/100
B+
Within-state proficiency98th pct
Denver median 88th pct
Student–teacher ratio17.9
Denver median 17.7
Graduation rate92%
Denver median 85%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index117
Denver 100
Eff. tax rate0.52%
Denver 0.55%
Local sales tax7.89%
Denver median 7.89%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 74/100
B
Mean commute24.2 min
Denver 27.0 min
Under 30 minutes66%
Denver 58%
Transit stops / sq mi1.8
Denver median 2.7 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 81/100
B+
Restaurants & cafés93
Denver median 60 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Denver median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks67
Denver median 77 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Median household income$159,307
Denver $105,762
Unemployment4.0%
Denver 4.5%
Professional occupations64%
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 Highlands Ranch 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 Highlands Ranch on housing & affordability
Highlands Ranch's weakest grade is C+. Four suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
The Pinery13 mi from Highlands RanchB+ 65 C+ Greenwood Village6 mi from Highlands RanchB− 75 B Castle Pines8 mi from Highlands RanchC+ 66 C+ Columbine6 mi from Highlands RanchC+ 66 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Highlands Ranch
Is Highlands Ranch, CO a good place to live?
Highlands Ranch scores 74 out of 100, 3rd of 32 Denver suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Highlands Ranch expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $712,700, 18% above the Denver median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.52%. $2,531/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Highlands Ranch?
Schools grade B+. The districts serving Highlands Ranch sit at the 98th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 17.9 student–teacher ratio. Highlands Ranch is served by Douglas County School District No. Re 1. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Highlands Ranch?
The mean commute is 24.2 min, with 66% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 33% working from home. Transit density is 1.8 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Highlands Ranch?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 93 restaurants and cafés and 67 parks, which grades B+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Highlands Ranch old or new?
The median home in Highlands Ranch was built in 1997 — newer than 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. 81% 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.