Best PlacesNorthwest Arvada, Arvada, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Northwest Arvada, Arvada, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Northwest Arvada, Arvada ranks 1,403rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Northwest Arvada, Arvada
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Northwest Arvada, Arvada's strengths and weaknesses
Where Northwest Arvada, Arvada ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Northwest Arvada, Arvada ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,769 a month, better than only 11% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Short commute28.4 minutes each way, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Northwest Arvada, Arvada
A household needs to earn about $153,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Northwest Arvada, Arvada home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $125,416, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Northwest Arvada, Arvada's effective rate of 0.53%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Northwest Arvada, Arvada
Northwest Arvada, Arvada runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Northwest Arvada, Arvada.
Who works in Northwest Arvada, Arvada, and how
Work in Northwest Arvada, Arvada centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Northwest Arvada, Arvada
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Northwest Arvada, Arvada.
What the weather is like in Northwest Arvada, Arvada, month by month
Northwest Arvada, Arvada sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 63° | 49° | 38° |
| July | 89° | 75° | 62° |
| October | 67° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of Northwest Arvada, Arvada
Denver International sits about 25 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 40.1 million passengers in 2025, with 250 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Northwest Arvada, Arvada
Schools across Northwest Arvada, Arvada average an A−, better than 88% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Jefferson County Open Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Lincoln Charter AcademyC · 33% proficient
- Arvada K-8F · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Manning Options SchoolA · 65% proficient
Top high schools
- D'evelyn Junior/senior High SchoolA · 73% proficient
- Ralston Valley Senior High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Northwest Arvada, Arvada school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Northwest Arvada, Arvada measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Northwest Arvada, Arvada against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Northwest Arvada, Arvada
Is Northwest Arvada, Arvada a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Northwest Arvada, Arvada ranks 1,403rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on civic engagement, low property taxes, and heat safety, and lowest on air quality and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Northwest Arvada, Arvada expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $606,416. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $125,416 median income, cost of living beats 88% of neighborhoods.
Is Northwest Arvada, Arvada safe?
Yes, Northwest Arvada, Arvada is safer than 77% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $426 per resident a year.
Compare Northwest Arvada, Arvada with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Northwest Arvada, Arvada. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Northwest Arvada, Arvada represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Northwest Arvada, Arvada detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Northwest Arvada, Arvada: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Northwest Arvada, Arvada: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Northwest Arvada, Arvada: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Northwest Arvada, Arvada: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Northwest Arvada, Arvada detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.