Denver Metro Communities Ranked by Effective Property Tax Rate

Updated May 2026 · Research by Jessica Car

Colorado has one of the lowest residential property tax burdens in the country — the residential assessment ratio (currently around 6.7%) means even a high mill levy translates to a relatively low effective rate. Across the Denver metro, effective rates typically range from about 0.4% to 1.2% of home value per year.

The variance matters more than the absolute level. The 3× spread between the lowest-tax and highest-tax communities translates to thousands of dollars per year on a typical Denver-metro home. School-district mill levies are the single biggest driver — communities served by higher-funded districts (Douglas County, Boulder Valley, Cherry Creek) generally carry higher effective rates, which is the trade-off baked into the school-quality rankings on the best-schools page.

What this page doesn't capture: HOA fees (which can double the effective cost in master-planned communities), metro district fees (common in newer Douglas County and Northern Colorado developments — sometimes $1,500–$4,000/year on top of property tax), and the Special Districts that fund things like fire protection or local parks. Use this list as the property-tax-line-item ranking, then check the per-community taxes section for the all-in number.

Rank	Community	Region	Property tax rate
1	Watkins	East Metro	~0.49–0.81% effective (unincorporated Adams/Arapahoe County — varies by parcel)
2	Timnath	Northern Colorado	~0.50–0.55% + metro district overlay ($200–400/mo extra)
3	Wellington	Northern Colorado	~0.50–0.55%
4	Baker	Central Denver	~0.50% effective (Denver avg); ~79.2 mills
5	Cherry Creek	Central Denver	~0.50% effective (Denver avg); ~79.2 mills
6	Five Points	Central Denver	~0.50% effective; ~79.2 mills
7	LoDo	Central Denver	~0.50% effective; ~79.2 mills
8	Platt Park	Central Denver	~0.50% effective; ~79.2 mills. Estimated ~$4,590/yr on $918K median
9	RiNo	Central Denver	~0.50% effective; ~79.2 mills
10	The Highlands	Central Denver	~0.50% effective; ~79.2 mills
11	Washington Park	Central Denver	~0.50% effective; ~79.2 mills
12	Park Hill	Central Denver	~0.50% effective (Denver avg); ~79.2 mills
13	Wheat Ridge	West Metro & Foothills	~0.5% effective rate (Jeffco median ~$3,434/yr)
14	Pueblo	Pueblo	0.51%–0.69% effective; median annual bill ~$1,543–$1,811
15	Westminster	North Metro	~0.52% effective (Adams County side) / ~0.51% (Jeffco side)
16	Thornton	North Metro	~0.52% effective (Adams County)
17	Highlands Ranch	South Metro	~0.52%–0.63% effective (Douglas County)
18	Englewood	South Metro	~0.52% effective (Arapahoe County — below state median)
19	Longmont	Boulder Area	~0.54% (Boulder County · city mill levy 13.42)
20	Fort Collins	Northern Colorado	~0.55%
21	Windsor	Northern Colorado	~0.55–0.65% (Weld County)
22	Severance	Northern Colorado	~0.55% + metro districts
23	Berthoud	Northern Colorado	~0.55%
24	Johnstown	Northern Colorado	~0.55–0.65% (varies by county side)
25	Boulder	Boulder Area	~0.55–0.60% (varies by taxing district · mill levy ~65–95 total)
26	Erie	Boulder Area	Boulder County side: ~0.55–0.58%. Weld County side: ~0.77% (metro districts add more)
27	Superior	Boulder Area	~0.55% (Boulder County)
28	Broomfield	North Metro	~0.55% effective (Broomfield County)
29	Castle Rock	South Metro	~0.55% effective (Douglas County; mill levy ~66.6 before special districts)
30	Loveland	Northern Colorado	~0.58%
31	Greenwood Village	South Metro	~0.58% effective (Arapahoe County); GV mill levy 2.932 — among lowest in metro Denver
32	Brighton	North Metro	~0.60% effective (Adams County)
33	Commerce City	North Metro	~0.60% effective (Adams County)
34	Federal Heights	North Metro	~0.60% effective (Adams County)
35	Northglenn	North Metro	~0.60% effective (Adams County)
36	Strasburg	East Metro	~0.60–0.81% effective (Adams/Arapahoe County varies by parcel)
37	Lone Tree	South Metro	~0.63% effective (Douglas County)
38	Parker	South Metro	~0.64% effective (Douglas County)
39	Greeley	Northern Colorado	~0.65% (Weld County — varies by district)
40	Castle Pines	South Metro	~0.67% effective (Douglas County)
41	Arvada	North Metro	~0.68% effective (Jeffco) — city mill levy of 4.31 (among lowest in metro)
42	Littleton	South Metro	~0.71%–0.73% effective (varies by county — Arapahoe, Jefferson, or Douglas)
43	Centennial	South Metro	~0.71% effective (Arapahoe County)
44	Bennett	East Metro	~0.81% effective (Adams County average)
45	Conifer	West Metro & Foothills	~1.0–1.5% of appraised value (Jeffco)
46	Evergreen	West Metro & Foothills	~1.0–1.5% of appraised value (Jeffco). Median tax bill ~$5,010.
47	Lakewood	West Metro & Foothills	Jefferson County — residential assessed at 6.25-7.05%
48	Lochbuie	North Metro	Mill levy 6.906
49	Golden	West Metro & Foothills	~90.8 mills total (city 18.34 mills + county + school + special districts)
50	Fountain	Colorado Springs	Median ~$2,820/yr (Livability)
51	Edgewater	West Metro & Foothills	Median ~$2,878/yr (Livability)
52	Aurora	East Metro	Median annual bill ~$2,902 (varies by county — Arapahoe, Adams, or Douglas)
53	Monument	Colorado Springs	Median ~$4,035/yr (Livability)
54	Louisville	Boulder Area	—
55	Lafayette	Boulder Area	—
56	Nederland	Boulder Area	—
57	Morrison	West Metro & Foothills	—
58	Manitou Springs	Colorado Springs	—
59	Palmer Lake	Colorado Springs	El Paso County rates
60	Peyton	Colorado Springs	El Paso County rates — lower than incorporated areas
61	Woodland Park	Colorado Springs	Teller County rates — generally lower than El Paso
62	Beulah	Pueblo	Pueblo County rates — lower than metro Denver
63	Pueblo West	Pueblo	—