What it's like to live in Lakewood
Lakewood is a mid-size city in Colorado with household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lakewood deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, crime rates above the national average, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Lakewood compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lakewood
Based on Lakewood's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,612
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $72,240 a year
- 53% of Lakewood renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$114,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $57,440
- Homes cost 6.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 28% above US
$1,806/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,806 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $574,400. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $574,400 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 105% above US
675 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is a real factor here, with violent rates significantly above the national average. That doesn't make the whole city a write-off, but it does mean specific neighborhoods deserve real research before signing a lease.
Property crime 4517/100k · Lakewood Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 23% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 21°F and snow a regular occurrence. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 4.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 26% above US
45% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 45% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
44 public schools inside the boundary
There are 44 public schools inside the boundary and 10 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (55 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lakewood's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,806/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (23% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
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