Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Lakewood, Colorado population is 156,927 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #174 nationally and #5 in Colorado. Cost of living runs 5.8% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); the four-person spending scenario corresponds to modeled gross income of $139,788/yr (TY2026 tax assumptions; partial scenario excluding unverified local income tax). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
156,927 people live in Lakewood as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #174 largest U.S. city.
How big is Lakewood?
Lakewood covers 43.5 square miles of land and 1.2 square miles of water. Its population density is about 3,608 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 0.6% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 155,986 → 2025: 156,927 (+0.6%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
155,986
April 1, 2020
2020
156,263
July 1, 2020
2021
157,164
July 1, 2021
2022
156,286
July 1, 2022
2023
156,481
July 1, 2023
2024
157,395
July 1, 2024
2025
156,927
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 10.6% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Lakewood is the #174 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #5 in Colorado.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
155,986
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+941
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+0.6%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
-468
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
-0.3%
within V2025 only
Density
3,608
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
43.5
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#174
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#5
of 272 in Colorado
What is the median household income in Lakewood?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 11% above the U.S. median ($89,792 vs $80,734); 9.2% live in poverty, 3.3 points below the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$89,792
US
Lakewood: $89,792 — 11% above the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Lakewood
$89,792
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Lakewood from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$89,792+11.2% vs US
±$3,394
Per capita income
$53,749+20.3% vs US
±$1,454
Population in poverty
9.2% ± 0.9 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 73% above the U.S. median ($574,400 vs $332,700); median rent is 28% above ($1,806 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 6.4× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$574,400
US
Lakewood: $574,400 — 73% above the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$2,089/mo
US
Lakewood: $2,089/mo — 94% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units
$574,400+72.6% vs US
±$8,588
Median gross rent
$1,806+27.8% vs US
±$26
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026)
$2,089-13.5% vs US
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA· 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share
58.1% ± 1.3 percentage points
of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio
6.4x± 0.26x approximate 90% MOE+55.2% vs US
median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. ratio: 4.1x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income)
55.2% ± 3.2 percentage points+7.9% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 51.1%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)
26.5% ± 2.5 percentage points+2.2% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 25.9%
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Lakewood. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.0%
Lakewood (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
92,395
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
23.4% ± 1.4 percentage points+54.6% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Lakewood sits in Jefferson County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Jefferson County
7.2%
$109,969
3.8%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Lakewood's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
32,444
$1,335 / wk
#2
Professional and technical services (54)
29,542
$2,500 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
27,900
$892 / wk
#4
Accommodation and food services (72)
24,616
$636 / wk
#5
Manufacturing (31-33)
19,570
$2,408 / wk
What workers earn in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Fast Food and Counter Workers is the largest tracked occupation in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro (42,810 jobs, median $37,070/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Fast Food and Counter Workers
42,810
$37,070
$17.82
Stockers and Order Fillers
32,610
$44,480
$21.39
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
28,670
$94,990
$45.67
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
26,130
$38,900
$18.70
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
24,480
$80,650
$38.77
Cashiers
23,860
$37,620
$18.09
Customer Service Representatives
23,560
$48,590
$23.36
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
40,340
$38,470
$18.50
Registered Nurses · benchmark
30,380
$101,130
$48.62
Software Developers · benchmark
27,010
$137,610
$66.16
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
22,940
$142,330
$68.43
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
14,320
$63,900
$30.72
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 5.8% above the U.S. average (RPP 105.8); rents run 46.9% above (RPP 146.9) — the metro's housing premium is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 105.8
US
Lakewood's cost of living runs 5.8% above the U.S. average (RPP 105.8 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 105.8
+5.8% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$2,089/mo
FY2026 · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSA
State income tax (top marginal rate)
4.40%
flat · TY2026
Four-person monthly spending scenario
$11,649/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
One-person monthly spending scenario
$3,970/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
8.0% ± 0.7 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (8.6% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Lakewood's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: July (88°F avg high). Coldest: December (20°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 17.5 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Lakewood from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 94.9/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Hail (99.8).
Natural-hazard exposure for Lakewood from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Jefferson County
94.9
Relatively High
Hail 99.8 Very High · Lightning 99.7 Very High · Wildfire 99.5 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Lakewood?
16 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 90% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Lakewood from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
16 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
12
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
89.6%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
89.6%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
80,681
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Lakewood?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 1,227 violent and 7,939 property offenses in the Lakewood jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 787.2 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Lakewood — an FBI jurisdiction population of 155,868, versus the Census place population of 156,927. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
1,227
787.2
359.1
Property crime
7,939
5,093.4
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
4
Rape
93
Robbery
215
Aggravated assault
915
Burglary
917
Larceny-theft
5,817
Motor vehicle theft
1,205
Arson (12-month reporters only)
30
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
813.7
5,323.8
157,068
2023
716.4
4,615.4
156,065
2024
787.2
5,093.4
155,868
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Lakewood · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Lakewood sits at state rank #5 among 272 cities in Colorado. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Hollywood, FL · #173 · 157,019 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Sunnyvale, CA · #175 · 156,577 residents.
Quick travel facts for Lakewood
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
5,657 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport(BJC) · 15 mi 23 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Sep, Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Lakewood.
How many people live in Lakewood, CO?
Lakewood has 156,927 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #174 largest city in the United States and #5 in Colorado. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Lakewood growing or shrinking?
Lakewood has grown 0.6% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 941 residents. The most recent year ticked down slightly (−468 residents, −0.3% from 2024 to 2025). Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Lakewood's population in the 2020 census?
The GEOID for Lakewood is 0843000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
