Denver safety in 2026 is a tale of two trends. The FBI’s 2024 figures put the Mile High City’s violent crime rate at 993 per 100,000 residents — 7,170 violent crimes across 722,031 people. That level landed Denver among the 10 U.S. cities with the highest crime rates, per Rocky Mountain Voice citing KDVR/FOX31’s analysis of the FBI data. But preliminary police figures through mid-2025 tell a brighter story: homicides nearly halved, with violent crime falling for a third straight year.
TL;DR: Denver’s 2024 FBI data shows 993 violent crimes per 100,000 residents — 7,170 incidents, led by aggravated assault. Preliminary 2025 figures show homicides down nearly 50% from 2024, and the Council on Criminal Justice counted Denver among 31 of 35 major cities improving. Crime concentrates in a few downtown and east-side corridors; Belcaro, Washington Park, and Hilltop remain the safest areas.
What Denver safety looks like by the numbers
The FBI’s 2024 Uniform Crime Report, released in August 2025, gives the baseline: 71 murders, 676 rapes, 1,272 robberies, and 5,151 aggravated assaults — 7,170 violent crimes in all. Property crime stood at 4,763 per 100,000 residents (34,380 incidents: 5,112 burglaries, 20,373 larceny-thefts, and 8,895 motor vehicle thefts), per a breakdown of the official FBI figures.
The decline that followed is the real story. Denver police logged roughly 37 homicides in 2025, down from 70–71 in 2024 — nearly halved — and the Council on Criminal Justice’s January 2026 report found Denver’s homicide rate down more than 40%, among 31 of 35 major cities improving. Police also reported total violent crime down 7.31% as of August 2025, per KDVR/FOX31 reporting covered by Rocky Mountain Voice, with city reporting putting the 2022–2025 decline above 30%. Caveat: these are preliminary department figures, not final FBI data.
The Common Sense Institute’s July 2025 report adds nuance: comparing H1 2025 with H1 2024, auto thefts fell 36%, murders fell 44%, and robberies fell 18% — but aggravated assault ticked up 1% and most categories stayed above 2020 levels. Murders in downtown’s District 6 rose year over year, and that district accounted for 25% of the city’s violent-crime victims.
Denver’s safest areas in 2026
Denver’s crime map is lopsided, and the same South and East Denver neighborhoods show up as safe bets across independent analyses. Here’s where the data points:
- Belcaro — statistically the safest, at 0.42 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (ibuyer’s analysis of Denver police data).
- Washington Park — roughly 22% below the city average.
- Hilltop — 2.33 per 1,000, below the city average.
- University Park — low crime near the University of Denver.
- Cherry Creek — below-average violent crime.
- Central Park — master-planned community on the safer end.
- Jefferson Park — HomeSnacks’ No. 1 safest neighborhood per FBI UCR data.
Areas where caution pays in Denver
The flip side: Denver’s violent crime concentrates in a handful of corridors, and police data identifies these as the places to stay alert:
- Civic Center / CBD / Union Station / 16th Street Mall — the city’s highest per-100k violent crime rates; Civic Center registered 9,956 per 100,000 in 2024 (Move4Less).
- East Colfax — ranked 12th for violent crime in 2025 (DenverCrimes.com); Only In Your State notes its long association with drug and prostitution activity.
- Five Points — 441 violent crimes in 2024, including 4 homicides (DenverCrimes.com).
- Globeville / Elyria-Swansea — industrial corridor with elevated crime grades per CrimeGrade.
- Capitol Hill — 14th for violent crime in 2025 (DenverCrimes.com); the nightlife blocks see more incidents than the residential streets.
What the numbers don’t tell you
A citywide rate of 993 per 100,000 is an average, not an experience. Denver’s crime is concentrated in a few corridors while most residential neighborhoods see far less — risk in the city operates near the block level, per crimedenver.com’s DPD-based crime index. A visitor to Belcaro and a visitor to Civic Center are, statistically, in different cities.
And the most encouraging numbers come with a caveat: the 2025 declines are preliminary department figures, not final FBI data. The direction is clear — homicides nearly halved, violent crime down more than 30% since 2022 — but treat the exact 2025 totals as subject to revision. For a comparison with another metro’s safety picture, read our guide to Atlanta’s safety in 2026.
Frequently asked questions about Denver safety in 2026
Is Denver safe in 2026?
Improving. The FBI’s 2024 data put violent crime at 993 per 100,000 — among the highest rates of any major U.S. city — but preliminary 2025 police figures show homicides nearly halved and violent crime down more than 30% since 2022.
What is the safest neighborhood in Denver?
Belcaro, at 0.42 violent crimes per 1,000 residents — the statistically safest, per ibuyer’s analysis of Denver police data. HomeSnacks, using FBI UCR data, ranks Jefferson Park No. 1.
Is downtown Denver safe at night?
Exercise caution. The Civic Center/CBD/16th Street Mall corridor has the city’s highest per-100k violent crime rates, and the Common Sense Institute reports downtown’s District 6 accounts for 25% of the city’s violent-crime victims.
Is Denver’s crime rate going down?
Yes, according to preliminary data. Denver police logged roughly 37 homicides in 2025, down from 70–71 in 2024, and the Council on Criminal Justice found the homicide rate down more than 40%. These are preliminary figures, not final FBI data.
How does Denver compare to other U.S. cities?
Rocky Mountain Voice, citing KDVR/FOX31’s analysis of 2024 FBI data, named Denver among the 10 U.S. cities with the highest crime rates — above the national average, with violent crime concentrated in downtown and central corridors.
Which Denver areas should I be careful in?
Police data points to the Civic Center/CBD/16th Street Mall corridor, East Colfax, Five Points, Globeville/Elyria-Swansea, and Capitol Hill as the areas with the highest violent crime rates.
Is Cherry Creek safe?
Yes — Cherry Creek is one of Denver’s below-average violent crime neighborhoods, and it appears on multiple safest-area lists for the city.
