The Denver–Aurora–Centennial metro houses about 3.00M people (per 2024 ACS 5-year Estimates ). Metro-wide, median household income is $106K, median home value is $604K, median age is 37, and 49% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor's degree. The neighborhood-level analysis below covers the metro's urbanized footprint — about 2.43M of those 3.00M residents. The dominant pattern across the maps is a wealthy southern wedge running from central Denver down through Cherry Hills Village and into Centennial, set against a lower-value northeast band through Commerce City and north Aurora .
Median home value
The top cluster is around North of Cherry Hills Village at $1.1M, nearly double the metro median of $604K. Cherry Hills Village itself is among Colorado's wealthiest municipalities, with a 2020 bachelor's-degree share of 75% and longtime home of figures such as John Elway and Condoleezza Rice . Other top clusters cluster nearby: South of Denver at $967K, North of Dove Valley at $966K, East of Columbine at $956K, and West of Cherry Hills Village at $928K — all forming a contiguous high-value wedge on the south side of the metro. The bottom clusters sit on the opposite side of the map: West of Commerce City at $358K, South of Denver at $358K, North Aurora at $364K, South of Thornton at $364K, and East of Sherrelwood at $378K.
Median household income
Incomes follow the same geography but with one striking outlier: the cluster around North Denver tops the metro at $216K, well above Cherry Hills Village's surrounding $169K. The other top clusters — North of Dove Valley at $184K, East of Columbine at $159K, and East of Highlands Ranch at $159K — sit in the southern wedge. The bottom clusters are again on the north and east edges: West Denver at $62K, South of Denver at $63K, West Denver at $64K, North Aurora at $70K, and West of Commerce City at $66K. The metro reference is $106K.
Median age
The metro median is 37. The oldest clusters are North of Fairmount at 48, Littleton at 47, North of Centennial at 46, West of Lakewood at 45, and West of Arvada at 44 — established western and southwestern suburbs. The youngest are North of Aurora at 30, South of Golden at 31, North Aurora at 31, and North Denver at 31. The South of Golden cluster's youth tracks with the presence of Colorado School of Mines , a STEM university in Golden.
Adults 25+ with bachelor's degree
Education concentration is sharpest inside the urban core, not in the wealthy southern suburbs. The top clusters are West Denver at 81%, South Denver at 79%, West Denver at 76%, North Denver at 76%, and North of Cherry Hills Village at 75% — all above the metro share of 49%. The bottom clusters trail well below: West of Commerce City at 12%, North Denver at 14%, North Aurora at 17%, West Denver at 18%, and East of Sherrelwood at 19%. The low-share areas align with Commerce City's industrial corridor, which hosts the largest oil refinery in the Rocky Mountain region , and the immigrant-heavy stretch of north Aurora, a longstanding hub for Ethiopian and Eritrean communities in the Denver–Aurora area .
Where the metrics overlap
The cluster around North of Cherry Hills Village leads the metro on home value, income, and bachelor's share simultaneously — a rare triple. The cluster around West of Commerce City sits at the bottom on all three of those same metrics. North Aurora overlaps with Commerce City on low values, low income, and low education, while also skewing young. Central Denver shows a different pattern: West Denver and North Denver clusters top the metro on bachelor's share and one of them tops it on income, but they remain among the youngest clusters and don't reach the south-suburban peaks on home value. The age map breaks from the wealth pattern most clearly — Littleton and West Arvada are old without being top-income, and the wealthy North Denver income cluster is also among the youngest.
Key Takeaways
- The cluster around North of Cherry Hills Village leads the metro on home value at $1.1M, income at $169K, and bachelor's share at 75%.
- The cluster around West of Commerce City sits at the bottom on home value at $358K, income at $66K, and bachelor's share at 12%.
- High home values form a contiguous wedge along the south side of the metro, from central Denver through Cherry Hills Village out to Centennial and Highlands Ranch.
- The urban-core clusters in West and North Denver post the metro's highest bachelor's shares — up to 81% — but lower median ages and home values than the south-suburban wealth wedge.
- Median age peaks at 48 in North of Fairmount and bottoms at 30 in North of Aurora; South of Golden's 31 tracks with the Colorado School of Mines student population.