Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Boulder CO by Burglary Rate

While Boulder enjoys a reputation of a pretty safe place to live, looking at the data suggests that burglaries in Boulder are not uncommon. Boulder is ranked 5358 out of 8549 cities in the nation with 4.6 burglaries per 1000 residents, a little below the national average of 5.7 burglaries per 1000. So while Boulder is relatively safe, there are some areas in Boulder that are more prone for burglary.

Experiencing a burglary is one of the most devastating feelings imaginable. The damage to the house, and often property adds up to a general sense of insecurity, knowing that a house that is supposed to be a fortress, was violated by ill intended people. Whether a house is owned or rented, we invest so much in it and want it to be safe for ourselves, our family members, and even our pets.

Menu

• Neighborhood Safety Rank
• Boulder Crime Map
• North Boulder
• South Boulder
• Southeast Boulder
• Palo Park
• Crossroads
• Central Boulder
• East Boulder
• University of Colorado Boulder

It is important to note that location isn’t everything when it comes to preventing burglraries. Even when living in a relatively burglary safe location, there are a few critical steps to insure that a house is safe, both in terms of making it hard to break into by creating physical obstacles like putting the right locks, doors and window protections, and by making the house appears secure and not “inviting” to burglars by making expensive items less visible, leaving doors shut and making sure the entrance is lit and visible from the street.

Taking all of these steps will make your houses more secure regardless of its location. With that said, here are the Boulder neighborhoods arranged by the number of reported burglaries within 30 Days between May and June 2017.

Scroll Down to See Your Neighborhood Safety Rank

Boulder Crime Map

Boulder CO crime rate data includes neighborhoods ranked by total crime, with safest listed first. Information on burglaries is included where relevant. Using a Boulder CO crime rate map, you can see that the safest zones are near to each other, as are the more crime-dense ones. Note that Boulder crime map statistics are from 2018, the more recent year for which there is complete data.

7. North Boulder

Population: 11,930
Population density: 2.93 per sq. mile
Total crime: 1,776
Violent crime: 191
Property crime: 1,585
Median age: 41.7
Median household income: $111,939

The single case happened in private house in a nice looking neighborhood with big lawns. North Boulder is ranked second in Boulder in households that bring an income of over six figures, allowing for many expensive houses to be occupied. North Boulder is mostly occupied by married couples and its employment rate and labour force participation rate are significantly higher than the rest of Boulder.

6. South Boulder

Population: 16,230
Population density: 1,801 per sq. mile
Total crime: 2,540
Violent crime: 166
Property crime: 2,374
Median age: 38
Median household income: $94,352

Most cases in South Boulder happen closer to the neighboring neighborhoods in the north of South Boulder. This is correlated with household income data that shows that the safer south part of the neighborhood contains the highest earners in the neighborhood. South Boulder is only second to Palo Park as the neighborhood with fewest families assisted by food stamps.

5. Southeast Boulder

Population: 20,905
Population density: 3,210 per sq. mile
Total crime: 2,611
Violent crime: 228
Property crime: 2,383
Median age: 34.5
Median household income: $56,757

SouthEast Boulder burglary pattern shows that most burglaries happen next to the border of the neighborhood, with 42% of cases more happening by the main Baseline Road, which offers a quick access and escape route, and thus harder to guard. SouthEast Boulder is a significantly younger neighborhood, which means that houses and communities there are less permanent and thus harder to guard.

4. Palo Park

Population: 2,365
Population density: 1,214 per sq. mile
Total crime: 1,412
Violent crime: 22
Property crime: 1,390
Median age: 40.5
Median household income: $125,380

Palo Park is one of the wealthiest communities in Boulder, with a relatively low population density, and without many access points through highways. Palo Park has a growing professional class, which arrives in the neighborhood at age 25, after they are done with College and have already taken some first career steps. The average household income there is close to $83.6K, well above the average for boulder, with 49% of households making over 6 figures (most in Boulder). The burglary case happened in Paonia, where a lot of new construction happens. It’s anticipated that once construction slows down, it will be even safer there.

3. Crossroads

Population: 7,095
Population density: 3,811 per sq. mile
Total crime: 12,845
Violent crime: 694
Property crime: 12,151
Median age: 29.9
Median household income: $41,578

All four cases in Crossroads happened next to a main road. 3 next to Pearl Street, and one next to Highway 7. This is important to keep in mind when looking into choosing a house – proximity to main transportation routes brings a higher risk of burglary. Crossroads also has the lowest median income of all residential neighborhoods (excluding the university campus)

2. Central Boulder

Population: 27,096
Population density: 3,937 per sq. mile
Total crime: 4,552
Violent crime: 381
Property crime: 4,171
Median age: 33.1
Median household income: $74,729

With 16 reported cases, Central Boulder had the most amounts of burglaries by a large margin. As one of the most dense areas in the city, Central Boulder also has a high level of inequality across the neighborhood (55.7% Gini Coefficient), which seems to be the main predictor of burglary cases in Boulder. The northeast, wealthy party of the neighborhood, bordered by Canyon Drive and Broadway, had 4 cases, all of them by the border of the wealth area. Other parts of the neighborhood suffered as well, with 10 cases happening between Alpine Ave and Lower Araphoe and University Avenue. Interestingly, south to University Ave there was only 1 reported case.

1. East Boulder

Population: 3,257
Population density: 399 per sq. mile
Total crime: 6,834
Violent crime: 557
Property crime: 6,277
Median age: 35.7
Average household income: $54,526

East Boulder is the most unequal part of Boulder, with the top 5% of households earning 35.6% of the income. In second place is Central Boulder, with the top 5% earning only 27.5% of the income share. It also has the highest rate of unemployment in Boulder which adds even more pressure to the place. It is a wide place, with lots of main access roads, which make for easier access for burglars.

University of Colorado Boulder

Population: 9.791
Population density: 5,611 per sq. mile
Total crime: 2,890
Violent crime: 170
Property crime: 2,720
Median age: 23
Median household income: $28,125

University of Colorado has a private police unit, which does not provide specific data about burglaries.