Wheat Ridge is a city of 33,800 in Jefferson County, about 6 miles west of downtown Denver · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Wheat Ridge?
Property crime is high in Wheat Ridge: a C+, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 79% of Americans live. Theft makes up 58% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades C+, and vehicle theft grades C+.
C+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 503 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
21% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Wheat Ridge as a whole, and 79% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Wheat Ridge scores 503.
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 Wheat Ridge, CO at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Wheat Ridge, 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 Wheat Ridge
Car thefts run high in Barths. In this part of east Wheat Ridge, they run at more than double the rate in the rest of Wheat Ridge.
Burglaries and thefts both run high. In Wheat Ridge, each runs at more than double the US rate: 5.9 burglaries and 32.4 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 and 13.1 nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Wheat Ridge
Areas graded C for property crime are home to 58% of residents in Wheat Ridge; 23% live in areas graded A or B and 19% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Wheat Ridge run from A- to F.
23%58%19%
A or B 23%C 58%D or F 19%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Applewood, southwestCar thefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Wheat Ridge.B644
2Fruitdale, westClose to the rest of Wheat Ridge on most crimes.B-561
3Allendale, northwestCar thefts run at about half the rate in the rest of Wheat Ridge.B-552
4Bel Aire, centralClose to the rest of Wheat Ridge on most crimes.C+465
5Arvada Plaza & Kipling, northCar thefts run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Wheat Ridge.C423
6Barths, eastThefts run about 60% higher here than in the rest of Wheat Ridge.D+262
Neighborhood areas of Wheat Ridge, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is property crime going up in Wheat Ridge?
Reported property crime in Wheat Ridge has risen 27% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 35 to 44 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
Wheat RidgeUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Wheat Ridge. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Wheat Ridge
Property, US
2016
+35%
+15%
2017
+38%
+12%
2018
-2%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+50%
-8%
2021
+76%
-10%
2022
+53%
-6%
2023
+31%
-7%
2024
+27%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Wheat Ridge
CrimeGrade™ estimates Wheat Ridge has about 56 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than double the rate for the US as a whole and 57% more than 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 Wheat Ridge, 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.
Where and when property crime happens in Wheat Ridge
Wheat Ridge has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Wheat Ridge, 38% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often at homes: 50% of them, against 33% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (47%)
Night (midnight to 6 am)
Car theft
Homes (50%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (46%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (45%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Wheat Ridge and nearby cities
Of the 9 cities closest to Wheat Ridge, 5 have less property crime. Fairmount and Applewood have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Wheat Ridge. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, Wheat Ridge has more property crime than 99% of them.
Shops, night lighting and walkability in Wheat Ridge
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Wheat Ridge apart: it has 17.8 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 73 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.17.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 94% 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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% 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. 63% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C- (30 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 80% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.73 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 88% 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.4.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 72% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.3 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 71% of US city residents
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 Wheat Ridge
Property crime costs Wheat Ridge about $14 million a year, or $408 per resident and about $900 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
$1.8 million
$53
Theft
$5.6 million
$166
Vehicle theft
$3.5 million
$105
Arson
$460,000
$14
Vandalism
$2.3 million
$70
Total
$14 million
$408
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.
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.
