Dakota Ridge, Colorado

Area Profile

33,753 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Dakota Ridge, in Jefferson County.

55out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 36% of 4,203 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 14 sources
OpportunityTop 46% of 4,206 cities measured58
SchoolsTop 15% of 4,162 cities measured78
Growth3,621st of 4,224 cities measured29
Housing affordability3,284th of 4,225 cities measured51
Climate3,210th of 4,225 cities measured62
Physical resilience3,129th of 4,226 cities measured33
AccessTop 33% of 4,226 cities measured96
Economic stabilityTop 5% of 4,226 cities measured79
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.9% and median household income $120,822, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Jefferson County, CO, which contains Dakota Ridge, rather than for Dakota Ridge alone.

Public schools test above most of the state: 57% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 15% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 988 units authorized over the past twelve months, 18% below the prior year. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Jefferson County, CO, which contains Dakota Ridge, rather than for Dakota Ridge alone.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
33,753
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$120,822
Top 10% nationally
Density
3,594/sq mi
9.4 sq mi of land
Median age
41.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Colorado
Nearest major airport
APA
16 mi · Centennial
Median home value
$604,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Jefferson County, CO, which contains Dakota Ridge, is 3.9%, lower than in 65% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Jefferson County, CO, which contains Dakota Ridge, fell 1.9% over the past year, to 319,833 employed residents.

51% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 89% of measured US cities.

Median household income of $120,822 is higher than in 90% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsJefferson County, CO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$84,29866th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftJefferson County, CO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$83,95070th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$5,5972024 ACS 5-Year$120,822Top 10%of 29,3262024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,9482024 ACS 5-Year$55,851Top 13%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year3.9%Top 19%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year28.0 minBottom 43%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year51.0%Top 11%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year66.6%21st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJefferson County, CO’s figureJuly 2026319,833Top 25%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Jefferson County, CO’s figureJuly 2026−2.7%Bottom 17%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Jefferson County, CO’s figureJuly 2026−1.9%Bottom 22%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJefferson County, CO’s figureJuly 2026332,73075th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year86.3%Top 20%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$81,690Top 18%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$62,320Top 11%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year1.3%86th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Jefferson County, CO’s figureJuly 2026+0.1%Bottom 39%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJefferson County, CO’s figureJuly 20263.9%Top 35%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year24.1%91st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

2021202220232024121k107k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $120,822 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers42,810$37,070
Retail Salespersons40,340$38,470
Stockers and Order Fillers32,610$44,480
Registered Nurses30,380$101,130
Business Operations Specialists, All Other28,670$94,990
Software Developers27,010$137,610

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a labor-market series for this place — true of a consolidated city-county, a city and county sharing one government, or a Puerto Rico municipio, regardless of population. This is the figure for Jefferson County, CO, which contains this city.

57% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 69% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 17.8 students for every full-time teacher across 13 public schools, more than in most measured places.

Public schools
13
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
17.8
across all schools here
Math proficiency
56.5%
Top 10% in Colorado
Reading proficiency
69.3%
Top 10% in Colorado
The 12 largest of 13 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Chatfield High SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-11,80819.969%79%
Dakota Ridge Senior High SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-11,27719.657%77%
Summit Ridge Middle SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-185119.842%55%
Powderhorn Elementary SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-152216.339%53%
Shaffer Elementary SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-149717.860%71%
Westridge Elementary SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-140017.454%68%
Ute Meadows Elementary SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-137415.662%72%
Bradford K8 SouthJefferson County School District No. R-137118.677%77%
Kendallvue Elementary SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-137015.442%52%
Mount Carbon Elementary SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-136716.057%72%
Bradford K8 NorthJefferson County School District No. R-135019.454%71%
Red Rocks Elementary SchoolJefferson County School District No. R-129219.557%62%

19.6% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Colorado’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 6% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 105.8, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area is up 21% over five years, but down 0.5% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,977 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.49% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $2,089, close to the $2,176 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $2,089 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $83,600 a year, about 69% of the median household income here of $120,822.

The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,176 a month.

A median home at $604,600 costs 4.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $131,126, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
105.8

Prices here run about 6% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
31.7%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.6×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$2,089
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$2,176
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$604,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Dakota Ridge’s median household income of $120,822, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area’s figure2023105.8Bottom 33%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2−0.5%4th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+21.4%7th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+79.9%27th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year4.6Bottom 11%of 26,9012024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year83.6%66th percentileof 31,8402024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±5102024 ACS 5-Year13,57696th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,754Bottom 31%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$2,734Bottom 28%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$2,089Bottom 29%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$912024 ACS 5-Year$2,176Bottom 5%of 23,2172024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$12,0982024 ACS 5-Year$604,60092nd percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$882024 ACS 5-Year$2,97773rd percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,9122024 ACS 5-Year$131,126Top 11%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year0.49%11th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year31.7%Bottom 33%of 23,0522024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±292024 ACS 5-Year01st percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year2.7%25th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2192024 ACS 5-Year36186th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

29/ 100
Ranks 3,621 of 4,224 published city profiles

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 988 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 16% are in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Jefferson County, CO, which contains Dakota Ridge, rather than for Dakota Ridge alone.

Federal tax returns show that people moving in from elsewhere in the US and people moving out roughly balanced across Jefferson County, which contains Dakota Ridge, in the most recent year. Households that moved in reported an average income of $84,298, close to the $83,950 of households that moved out.

At 1.7 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Jefferson County, CO, which contains Dakota Ridge, rather than for Dakota Ridge alone.

Units permitted
988
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.7
Bottom 37% nationally
Year over year
−18%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
16.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
+0.1%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
36%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$84,298
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$83,950
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Denver County, CO 10,103 people · 25% of arrivals
  2. Adams County, CO 4,360 people · 11% of arrivals
  3. Arapahoe County, CO 3,640 people · 9.2% of arrivals
  4. Douglas County, CO 1,493 people · 3.8% of arrivals
  5. Boulder County, CO 1,372 people · 3.5% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Denver County, CO 6,863 people · 17% of departures
  2. Adams County, CO 5,265 people · 13% of departures
  3. Arapahoe County, CO 3,448 people · 8.8% of departures
  4. Douglas County, CO 2,506 people · 6.4% of departures
  5. Boulder County, CO 1,103 people · 2.8% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Jefferson County, CO. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and Dakota Ridge, CO is not one. This is the figure for Jefferson County, CO, which contains this city.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 19°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 15.0 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 50, in the Good band, and about 37 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station DENVER CENTENNIAL AP, 15.6 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND2.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year1012024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals15.0"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals19°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals87°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year372024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year502024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals42°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
50
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
101
90th percentile index
Days above 100
37
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

33 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hail and wildfire, with inland flooding alone responsible for 35% of it. inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

HailHigh
TornadoElevated
WildfireElevated

Low or minimal exposure: lightning, winter weather, landslide, inland flooding, strong wind, earthquake, cold wave, volcanic activity, heat wave, avalanche, ice storm, drought, tsunami, hurricane, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Jefferson County has a modeled homicide rate of about 2.0 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 14.7 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 22.7 per 100,000 residents in Jefferson County.

Homicide
2.0
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
14.7
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
22.7
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
20.1
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Dakota Ridge (Jefferson County) rather than Dakota Ridge itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. Either no municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — or its department did not report every month of the year. Either way there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

11 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Centennial at 16 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year96.8%Top 17%of 31,7112024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle16 miTop 44%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle11Top 1%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year1.7%Top 18%of 31,7112024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
CentennialAPA16 mi10,001 ft
Rocky Mountain MetroBJC20 mi9,000 ft
Denver IntlDEN30 mi16,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
55
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Other cities in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
DenverDenver County718,87756Denver vs Dakota Ridge
AuroraArapahoe County394,43252Aurora vs Dakota Ridge
LakewoodJefferson County156,58346Lakewood vs Dakota Ridge
ThorntonAdams County144,18754
ArvadaJefferson County122,63453
WestminsterAdams County115,48457
CentennialArapahoe County108,20162
Highlands RanchDouglas County102,25765
Castle RockDouglas County79,12359
BroomfieldBroomfield County76,30466
Commerce CityAdams County66,44558
ParkerDouglas County61,78365

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Dakota Ridge side by side with a similar place.

Dakota Ridge vs Ken CarylDakota Ridge vs Bothell

Moving to Dakota Ridge from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated September 26, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Dakota Ridge

2 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Dakota Ridge with census figures of its own, largest first.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
8012743,494$137,040$693,20055
8046516,582$132,292$685,30052