Watkins is an unincorporated community of 3,150 in Adams County, about 20 miles east of downtown Denver · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Watkins?
Watkins earns an A for property crime, safer than the neighborhoods where 57% of Americans live. Theft makes up 58% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A-, and vehicle theft grades A.
A
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 857 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
57% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Watkins as a whole, and 43% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Watkins scores 857.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Watkins, CO at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Watkins, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in Watkins
Burglaries and car thefts both run high. In Watkins, each runs at more than triple the US rate: 13.1 burglaries and 14.2 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 and 2.7 nationally.
Property crime rates and types in Watkins
CrimeGrade™ estimates Watkins has about 105 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than triple the rate for the US as a whole and about triple the rate for Colorado.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Watkins, about 58% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Property crime in Watkins and nearby cities
Watkins has less property crime than 6 of its 8 nearest cities; only Strasburg and Bennett have less.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Watkins apart: it has 11.1 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 51.7 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.11.1 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.51.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (1 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 98% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.239 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 95% of US city residents
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.37% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 91% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Watkins on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs Watkins
Property crime costs Watkins about $2.5 million a year, or $782 per resident and about $4,810 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$370,000
$118
Theft
$990,000
$313
Vehicle theft
$690,000
$218
Arson
$63,000
$20
Vandalism
$350,000
$112
Total
$2.5 million
$782
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Watkins is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
