Population

Boston

663,972

Denver

713,734

Median Income

Boston

$94,755

Denver

$91,681

Home Value

Boston

$710,400

Denver

$586,700

Rent

Boston

$2,093

Denver

$1,770

Crime Rate

Boston

6.28

Denver

9.93

Cost of Living

Boston

180.6

Denver

158.2

Avg Temp

Boston

50°F

Denver

48°F

Unemployment

Boston

6.0%

Denver

4.6%

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How Similar Are Boston & Denver?

Denver is Boston's #10 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Boston

663,972

vs

Denver

713,734

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Boston at 663,972 and Denver at 713,734.

Violent Crime

Boston

6.28

vs

Denver

9.93

Different · 37% difference
🚨

Denver has a 37% higher violent crime than Boston.

Property Crime

🔒

Boston

20.22

vs

Denver

47.62

Different · 58% difference

Denver's property crime is significantly higher than Boston's — 58% difference.

Political Leaning

Boston

22.4%

vs

Denver

20.6%

Match · 8% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 8% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Boston

6.0%

vs

Denver

4.6%

Different · 23% difference

Boston has a 23% higher unemployment than Denver.

Median Income

Boston

$94,755

vs

Denver

$91,681

Match · 3% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Boston

$710,400

vs

Denver

$586,700

Different · 17% difference

Boston has a 17% higher home values than Denver.

Education

Boston

38.0%

vs

Denver

41.0%

Match · 7% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Boston

47.8%

vs

Denver

62.9%

Different · 24% difference

Denver has a 24% higher demographics than Boston.

Cost of Living

Boston

180.6

vs

Denver

158.2

Different · 12% difference
💵

Boston has a 12% higher cost of living than Denver.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boston and Denver share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Boston

vsof 8

0

Denver

Denver leads in 6 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Denver leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Denver has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,754 vs $2,476 in Boston (41% lower). Denver has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,089 vs $2,941 in Boston (41% lower). Denver scores 222.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 272.1 in Boston.

Overall Cost Index

Boston180.6
Denver158.2

Housing Index

Boston272.1
Denver222.1

Food Index

Boston122.4
Denver120.1

Transportation Index

Boston124.4
Denver108.0

Healthcare Index

Boston117.9
Denver116.1

Utilities Index

Boston147.9
Denver136.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Boston$79,458
Denver$69,607

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Boston$187,809
Denver$164,525

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Boston$2,476
Denver$1,754

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Boston$2,941
Denver$2,089

Housing Market — Denver leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Denver has a median property tax of $2,596 vs $4,335 in Boston (67% lower). Denver has a single-family homes of 49.8% compared to 18.2% in Boston. Denver has a vacancy rate of 6.5% compared to 9.3% in Boston.

Median Home Value

Boston$710,400
Denver$586,700

Median Rent

Boston$2,093
Denver$1,770

Median Property Tax

Boston$4,335
Denver$2,596

Owner-Occupied

Boston35.4%
Denver49.1%

Vacancy Rate

Boston9.3%
Denver6.5%

Single-Family Homes

Boston18.2%
Denver49.8%

Jobs & Economy — Denver leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Denver has a poverty rate of 11.2% compared to 16.9% in Boston. Denver has a unemployment rate of 4.6% compared to 6.0% in Boston. Denver: 19 min vs Boston: 25 min for mean commute.

Median Household Income

Boston$94,755
Denver$91,681

Per Capita Income

Boston$60,001
Denver$61,202

Poverty Rate

Boston16.9%
Denver11.2%

Unemployment Rate

Boston6.0%
Denver4.6%

Labor Force

Boston403,888
Denver443,076

Mean Commute

Boston25 min
Denver19 min

Work from Home

Boston18.8%
Denver24.4%

Private Sector

Boston82.4%
Denver94.6%

Government Sector

Boston41.1%
Denver45.1%

Crime & Safety — Boston leads

Source: FBI UCR

Boston has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.78 compared to 7.08 in Denver. Boston has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.10 in Denver. Boston has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 20.22 compared to 47.62 in Denver.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Boston6.28
Denver9.93

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Boston20.22
Denver47.62

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Boston0.04
Denver0.10

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Boston1.26
Denver1.76

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Boston4.72
Denver7.13

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Boston1.78
Denver7.08

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Boston16.87
Denver28.22

Violent Crime Clearance

Boston31.1%
Denver53.4%

Property Crime Clearance

Boston5.7%
Denver10.2%

Weather & Climate — Denver leads

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Denver: 12.9" vs Boston: 38.6" for annual rainfall. Denver has a avg humidity of 55.7% compared to 71.6% in Boston. Boston averages 43°F, about 7°F warmer than Denver.

Avg Annual Temperature

Boston50°F
Denver48°F

Avg Annual High

Boston59°F
Denver62°F

Avg Annual Low

Boston43°F
Denver35°F

Sunny Days per Year

Boston200
Denver237

Annual Rainfall

Boston38.6"
Denver12.9"

Annual Snowfall

Boston16.5"
Denver18.9"

Avg Humidity

Boston71.6%
Denver55.7%

Schools & Education — Denver leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Denver has a bachelor's degree or higher of 41.0% compared to 38.0% in Boston. Denver has a high school diploma or higher of 51.9% compared to 50.8% in Boston.

Public Schools

Boston0
Denver0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

BostonN/A
DenverN/A

Colleges & Universities

Boston0
Denver0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Boston38.0%
Denver41.0%

High School Diploma or Higher

Boston50.8%
Denver51.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Denver has a population of 713,734, about 1.1x the size of Boston (663,972). Boston skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 35.2.

Population

Boston663,972
Denver713,734

Median Age

Boston33
Denver35

Avg Household Size

Boston2.2
Denver2.1

Married Population

Boston29.0%
Denver34.4%

Foreign Born

Boston27.5%
Denver13.8%

White

Boston47.8%
Denver62.9%

Black

Boston21.5%
Denver8.8%

Hispanic

Boston18.9%
Denver27.9%

Asian

Boston10.0%
Denver3.6%

Boston

Denver

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Denver: 5 vs Boston: 4 for with emergency services. Boston: 3.7 vs Denver: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Boston5
Denver5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Boston3.7
Denver3.5

With Emergency Services

Boston4
Denver5

Transportation & Commute — Denver leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Boston has a public transit of 24.0% compared to 4.5% in Denver. Denver has a drive alone of 57.7% compared to 34.1% in Boston. Boston has a bicycle of 2.1% compared to 1.6% in Denver.

Mean Commute Time

Boston25 min
Denver19 min

Drive Alone

Boston34.1%
Denver57.7%

Public Transit

Boston24.0%
Denver4.5%

Bicycle

Boston2.1%
Denver1.6%

Work from Home

Boston18.8%
Denver24.4%

Airports

Boston0
Denver0

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Compare Boston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

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City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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