Blog > Are People Really Leaving Denver? I Fact-Checked the Haters
Are People Really Leaving Denver? I Fact-Checked the Haters
by Alex Saldana
Are People Really Leaving Denver? I Fact-Checked the Haters
By Alex Saldana, Colorado Real Estate Broker (License #042865) · October 26, 2026
▶ For the full breakdown, watch the video on YouTube.
Yes, some people are leaving Denver. In 2025 about 12,100 more Americans moved out of Colorado than moved in, but the state still grew past 6 million, and most leavers just moved to outer suburbs.
Are people actually leaving Denver and Colorado?
In 2025 about 12,100 more Americans moved out of Colorado than moved in from other states, which hasn't happened since around 2004.
For a long time I replied to comments saying more people were coming than leaving, and for domestic moves I was wrong this year. Denver County lost about 8,000 people to domestic moves, Arapahoe County lost almost 10,000, and net migration into the Denver metro is down around 70% compared to 2015. Here's the part the comments leave out, though. Colorado still grew last year and passed 6 million people for the first time, mostly from births and people moving here from other countries. A lot of the people leaving Denver and Arapahoe aren't leaving the state at all. They're heading to Douglas, Weld and Larimer counties, which all gained people, because they can get more house for the money. So it's less of an exodus and more of a scoot to the suburbs. And Denver is not the next Detroit, which has lost population for 60 years straight. My verdict: half right.
Is Denver too expensive compared to the rest of the country?
The Denver metro median home price was about $605,000 in July, compared to a national single-family median of about $435,000.
So yes, you'll pay more here than the average American, and there's no argument about that. But compare us to the rest of the West, where the median single-family home is about $638,000, and Denver is actually cheaper than its own region. Denver was also one of the weakest big metros for price growth this spring. That's annoying if you're selling, but great if you're buying, because prices are flat and buyers finally have room to negotiate. One comment told the story of a grandma's Brighton house that cost $34,000 in the 1960s and is now worth about $300,000. That sounds wild until you adjust for inflation, since $34,000 back then is roughly $384,000 today. That house basically kept pace with inflation. The real problem isn't that houses went crazy. It's that mortgage rates and paychecks haven't made it easier to get your foot in the door.
How do Colorado property taxes and home insurance compare?
Colorado's effective property tax rate is about 0.5% of a home's value, compared to roughly 1.9% back in Illinois where I grew up.
On a $605,000 house, the Denver median, that's roughly $3,000 a year here. Use the Illinois rate on the same house and you'd pay over $11,000. So when someone tells me the tax bill here is killing them, I kind of want to show them a Cook County bill. Insurance is a different story, and this is where the haters are just right. Colorado homeowners insurance averages about $4,200 a year in 2026, the sixth most expensive state in the country, and it's up 61% since 2023. The guy who said his policy went up $400 a month? I believe him. Most people assume it's all wildfire, but in Denver wildfire is only about 1% of your premium. Hail is about half of what you're paying for. My overall verdict on Colorado being too expensive: half right. I'd rather pay 10 to 15% more for a lifestyle that, in my opinion, is 100% better.
Is Denver a dangerous city to live in?
Denver had 37 homicides in 2025, down from 70 the year before and one of the lowest totals since 1990.
I get why people feel nervous, because a few years ago things felt rough here, especially car thefts. But car thefts in Denver dropped about 36% last year, and vehicle theft and robbery fell hard statewide too. I'm not going to cherry pick: there are some not so nice parts of the city. If you're coming from small town USA, crime here will look bad. If you're coming from LA, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, St. Louis or Las Vegas, it's not even close. I grew up around Chicago, where there are areas I'd avoid at any hour. In Denver there isn't a single street I'd worry about driving a client down at 1 a.m. My advice: don't take my word or YouTube comments for it. Pull up the Denver police crime dashboard for the exact blocks you like, then drive the neighborhood at night, on a weekend and at school drop-off. Verdict: mostly wrong.
How bad is traffic in Denver?
Denver drivers lost about 51 hours to traffic in 2025, up from 44 the year before and 37 the year before that.
That jump was the biggest in the country, so yes, traffic is getting worse here, and fast. I'm on I-25, I-70 and US-36 all the time, because my job is literally driving around the city. I-70 on a Friday afternoon in ski season, or on a Saturday morning, is a legitimate nightmare, and I won't argue with anybody about that. But look at the rest of the list. Chicago drivers lost 112 hours to traffic in the same year, more than double what we deal with. So the mountain traffic is real, especially heading up to ski country, but day-to-day commuting is a different experience than most big cities. If you're moving here from a major metro, you'll probably feel like you got a chunk of your life back. If you're coming from a small town, it will feel like a lot. Verdict: right about the trend, overstated compared to other big cities.
Should you worry about new construction quality in Denver?
A handyman, an architect and a former forensic engineer in my comments all raised concerns about post-COVID new builds, and for the most part they're right.
The forensic engineer once found packing tape used as weatherproofing, and I believe it. I've flipped hundreds of homes and have a construction background, so here's what I do with clients buying newer homes. We do multiple inspections: one at framing, one on the finished home, and one just before your one-year warranty is up so the builder fixes what turns up. Don't rely on the city and permits to catch problems, because most of the time they don't. Spending another $600 to $700 catches issues every single time. Builder reputation matters too. Richmond American, Taylor Morrison, Shea Homes and Toll Brothers all build across the metro with different track records, so read other owners' reviews. No house is perfect, so what counts is how the builder responds. Older homes often have better bones, but budget for updates, sometimes $100,000 or more. Verdict: way more right than wrong.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Did more people leave Colorado than move in during 2025?
Among Americans moving between states, yes. About 12,100 more people moved out of Colorado than moved in during 2025, the first net domestic loss since around 2004. The state still grew past 6 million residents thanks to births and international moves, and outer counties like Douglas, Weld and Larimer gained people.
Where are people who leave Denver moving to?
Many of them aren't leaving Colorado at all. Denver County and Arapahoe County lost residents to domestic moves, while Douglas, Weld and Larimer counties gained them. Most of these buyers want more house for the money, so it looks less like an exodus and more like a shift to suburbs farther out.
What is the median home price in the Denver metro?
The Denver metro median home price was about $605,000 in July, compared to a national single-family median of about $435,000. That's higher than the country overall but below the Western regional median of about $638,000. Prices were fairly flat this spring, which gives buyers more room to negotiate than they've had in years.
Why is homeowners insurance so expensive in Colorado?
Mostly hail. Colorado homeowners insurance averages about $4,200 a year in 2026, the sixth highest in the country, and it's up 61% since 2023. In Denver, wildfire risk is only about 1% of a typical premium, while hail accounts for roughly half of what homeowners pay. Shop policies and roof type carefully before you buy.
Are property taxes high in Colorado?
No, they're among the lowest in the country. Colorado's effective property tax rate is about 0.5% of a home's value. On a $605,000 home that's roughly $3,000 a year, compared to over $11,000 on the same house at Illinois's rate of about 1.9%. Insurance, not property tax, is the bigger cost to watch here.
How many inspections should I get on a new build in Denver?
I recommend three: one at the framing stage, one on the finished home before closing, and one just before your one-year builder warranty ends. City permits and inspections often miss problems. The extra $600 to $700 per inspection consistently catches issues, and the warranty inspection makes sure the builder pays to fix them.
Did transplants ruin Colorado?
The data says Colorado has always been a state of transplants. Only about 42% of Colorado residents were born here, one of the lowest shares in the country, and it's been around that level since about 1980. In Denver County it's about 28%. People from somewhere else have been building this state for over 70 years.
Thinking about buying or selling in Denver?
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