6 Denver 'Burbs Among Top '2018 Best Mid-Sized Cities' –Study

ARVADA, CO – Several Denver suburbs made a recent list of the top-10 mid-sized cities for livability, according to a recent study.

The financial services website SmartAsset.com evaluated data on 173 cities with populations above 100,000, excluding the largest cities in the U.S. The study compared cities across eight metrics: change in median home values, monthly housing costs, income inequality, poverty rate, median household income, unemployment rate, uninsured rate and average commute time.

Within those criteria, the Denver metro area ranked very well with a total of six cities in the top 25 "most livable" list. "These cities tended to combine low unemployment with high potential earnings to create great places to live, the study said. "One downside is the cost of living all over Denver is rising and thus hurting that city’s scores."

Olathe, Kansas and Rochester, Minnesota came in tied for first place, praised for low unemployment rates, low uninsured rates and job potential.

Here's why SmartAsset thought three Colorado cities made the top 10 list:

No 5. Highlands Ranch, Colorado

"The economic conditions here are perhaps the best in the study. Overall, Highlands Ranch has the second-lowest poverty rate, the sixth-highest median income, the fourth-lowest unemployment rate and the fourth-lowest uninsured rate." The study said average commute times of nearly 27 minutes brought the score down.

No. 7. Arvada, Colorado
Arvada was praised for home values. The median home "increased in value by 57% from 2012 to 2017," the study said. "Well-paying jobs are plentiful here, and few residents find themselves under the poverty line. In both poverty rate and unemployment rate, Arvada has top-30 scores."

No. 8. Centennial, Colorado
"Census Bureau data reveals that about 4.5 percent of residents in Centennial fall below the poverty line, while only 3.6 percent have no health insurance," the study said. However, cost of living in Centennial is high the study said: "This city ranks in the wrong half for median housing costs."

Other metro-Denver cities that cracked the top 25 were No. 17 Westminster, No. 18 Lakewood and No. 22, Thornton.

See the original study and methodology here.

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