3 Colorado communities among the 10 most livable mid-sized places in the U.S.

By Caitlin Hendee  –  Associate Editor, Denver Business Journal

less than a day ago

Three Colorado communities are among the most livable mid-sized cities in the U.S.

Highlands Ranch ranks first in the nation, according to SmartAsset's 2017 "The Most Livable Mid-Sized Cities in the U.S."

To compile its report, the New York-based financial services firm analyzed 174 mid-sized cities with populations above 100,000 (and excluding the 100 largest U.S. cities) for:

• -Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality. (The Gini coefficient is a number that’s always between 0 and 1, where a score of 0 means a population has achieved perfect equality and a score of 1 represents perfect inequality between rich and poor. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1-Year American Community Survey.)
• • -Median home value.
  • -Median monthly housing cost.
  • -Percent of residents below the poverty line.
  • -Median household income.
  • -Unemployment rate.
  • -Percent of residents without health insurance.
  • -Average commute time.
  • "The reason Highlands Ranch is so livable is because of the strong local economy," the report says. "Many Americans get health insurance through their jobs, so it may not be surprising to see that with such a low unemployment rate, Highlands Ranch also has a high rate of residents with insurance."
  • Centennial wasn't far behind, ranking second out of the 174 cities.
  • "The unemployment rate for residents in Centennial is low," the report notes. "However, many residents who live here tend to work relatively far from their jobs. The average resident had a 25-minute commute. That’s a below-average score."
  • Arvada rounded out the Colorado cities in the top 10, ranking eighth in the report.
  • "[A} perk of living here, other than the availability of jobs, is that work here tends to pay well," SmartAsset said in the report. "The median household earns just shy of $70,000 per year."
  • Full data on the Colorado communities can be found here.
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