Best PlacesWest Woods, Golden, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Woods, Golden, 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.
West Woods, Golden ranks 403rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in West Woods, Golden
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.
West Woods, Golden's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Woods, Golden ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
Where West Woods, Golden ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Woods, Golden
A household needs to earn about $213,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Woods, Golden home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $163,072, 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 West Woods, Golden's effective rate of 0.54%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in West Woods, Golden
West Woods, Golden runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for West Woods, Golden.
Who works in West Woods, Golden, and how
Work in West Woods, Golden centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 35%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in West Woods, Golden
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across West Woods, Golden.
What the weather is like in West Woods, Golden, month by month
West Woods, Golden sees roughly 83 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 West Woods, Golden
Denver International sits about 28 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 West Woods, Golden
Schools across West Woods, Golden average an A−, better than 88% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Jefferson County Open Elementary SchoolB− · 40% 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 West Woods, Golden school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Woods, Golden 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 West Woods, Golden against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West Woods, Golden
Is West Woods, Golden a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Woods, Golden ranks 403rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on civic engagement, quiet, and few empty homes, and lowest on walkability and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is West Woods, Golden expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $844,512. The overall cost of living runs about 8% above the national average. Set against a $163,072 median income, cost of living beats 97% of neighborhoods.
Is West Woods, Golden safe?
Yes, West Woods, Golden is safer than 94% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $283 per resident a year.
Compare West Woods, Golden with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Woods, Golden. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Woods, Golden 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.
West Woods, Golden detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Woods, Golden: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Woods, Golden: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Woods, Golden: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Woods, Golden: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Woods, Golden 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.