Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Colorado?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Colorado with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 31 cities in the Centennial State with over 7,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
What city has the highest murder rate in Colorado? The city with the highest murder rate in Colorado is Cortez with 32.9 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Colorado with highest number of murders? The city in Colorado with the highest number of murders is Denver with 85 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Colorado ranked. There were ‘only’ 31 cities in Colorado where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 36 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Centennial State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Colorado
- Cheapest Places To Live In Colorado
- Most Dangerous Cities In Colorado
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Colorado For 2025
/10
Population: 9,112
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 32.9 (Most)
More on Cortez: Data
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Population: 111,240
Murders: 28 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 25.2 (2nd Most)
More on Pueblo: Data
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Population: 10,613
Murders: 2 (2Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.8 (3rd Most)
More on Rifle: Data
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Population: 33,653
Murders: 5 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.9 (4th Most)
More on Englewood: Data
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Population: 7,074
Murders: 1 (27th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.1 (5th Most)
More on La Junta: Data
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Population: 712,222
Murders: 85 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.9 (6th Most)
More on Denver: Data
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Population: 28,429
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.6 (7th Most)
More on Fountain: Data
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Population: 9,671
Murders: 1 (27th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.3 (8th Most)
More on Delta: Data
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Population: 396,976
Murders: 41 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.3 (9th Most)
More on Aurora: Data
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Population: 21,334
Murders: 2 (2Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.4 (10th Most)
More on Montrose: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Colorado
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Colorado for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 31 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Cortez. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Colorado. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Colorado For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Colorado with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Colorado are Cortez, Pueblo, Rifle, Englewood, La Junta, Denver, Fountain, Delta, Aurora, and Montrose.
For more Colorado reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Colorado
- Fastest Growing Cities In Colorado
- Safest Places In Colorado
- Best Cities For Singles In Colorado
- Worst Places To Live In Colorado
Murder Rates By City In Colorado
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cortez, CO | 9112 | 3 | 32.92 |
| 2 | Pueblo, CO | 111240 | 28 | 25.17 |
| 3 | Rifle, CO | 10613 | 2 | 18.84 |
| 4 | Englewood, CO | 33653 | 5 | 14.86 |
| 5 | La Junta, CO | 7074 | 1 | 14.14 |
| 6 | Denver, CO | 712222 | 85 | 11.93 |
| 7 | Fountain, CO | 28429 | 3 | 10.55 |
| 8 | Delta, CO | 9671 | 1 | 10.34 |
| 9 | Aurora, CO | 396976 | 41 | 10.33 |
| 10 | Montrose, CO | 21334 | 2 | 9.37 |
| 11 | Lakewood, CO | 156065 | 14 | 8.97 |
| 12 | Severance, CO | 12197 | 1 | 8.2 |
| 13 | Longmont, CO | 98444 | 8 | 8.13 |
| 14 | Parker, CO | 62431 | 5 | 8.01 |
| 15 | Northglenn, CO | 38146 | 3 | 7.86 |
| 16 | Loveland, CO | 78656 | 5 | 6.36 |
| 17 | Wheat Ridge, CO | 31632 | 2 | 6.32 |
| 18 | Westminster, CO | 113660 | 7 | 6.16 |
| 19 | Commerce City, CO | 67851 | 4 | 5.9 |
| 20 | Canon City, CO | 17408 | 1 | 5.74 |
| 21 | Broomfield, CO | 77072 | 4 | 5.19 |
| 22 | Colorado Springs, CO | 489254 | 24 | 4.91 |
| 23 | Brighton, CO | 42700 | 2 | 4.68 |
| 24 | Evans, CO | 22791 | 1 | 4.39 |
| 25 | Greeley, CO | 109183 | 4 | 3.66 |
| 26 | Thornton, CO | 143838 | 5 | 3.48 |
| 27 | Grand Junction, CO | 69240 | 2 | 2.89 |
| 28 | Boulder, CO | 104232 | 3 | 2.88 |
| 29 | Centennial, CO | 104724 | 1 | 0.95 |
| 30 | Arvada, CO | 120200 | 1 | 0.83 |
| 31 | Fort Collins, CO | 168886 | 1 | 0.59 |