The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Dakota Ridge, CO
Dakota Ridge is an unincorporated community of 31,900 in Jefferson County, about 11 miles southwest of downtown Denver · Updated November 2026
Is Dakota Ridge, CO safe?
Yes, crime in Dakota Ridge is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Dakota Ridge sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 46% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime B+. Every neighborhood in Dakota Ridge grades A-.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 817 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
46% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Dakota Ridge as a whole, and 54% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Dakota Ridge scores 817.
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 crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime 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 Dakota Ridge, CO at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Dakota 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 in Dakota Ridge
Simple assault runs low. Dakota Ridge has 5.3 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, about half the US rate of 9.7.
How neighborhoods in Dakota Ridge compare
Every part of Dakota Ridge where people live grades A or B on the national scale.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Summit Ridge at West Meadows & Alkire Acres, southwestThefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Dakota Ridge.A-840
2Foothill Green South & Foothill Green, southeastClose to the rest of Dakota Ridge on most crimes.A-811
3Westgold Meadows, centralThefts run about 30% higher here than in the rest of Dakota Ridge.A-800
4Friendly Hills, northThefts run about 50% higher here than in the rest of Dakota Ridge.A-784
Neighborhood areas of Dakota Ridge, ranked by overall 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.
Crime rates and types in Dakota Ridge
CrimeGrade™ estimates Dakota Ridge has about 25 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 33% less than the US as a whole and 48% less than Colorado.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft makes up about 33% of crime reported in Dakota Ridge. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. 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.
How Dakota Ridge compares with nearby cities
Dakota Ridge has more crime than 6 of its 9 nearest cities. Morrison and Columbine Valley have the least crime nearby.
Two things set Dakota Ridge apart: it has 3.0 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 14 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.3.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 98% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.14 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 93% 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 and assault. 97% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (9 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 79% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 89% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.2 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 69% 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.99% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 61% 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 crime costs Dakota Ridge
Crime costs Dakota Ridge about $664 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 45% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $21 million a year, or $669 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$560,000
$18
Rape
$730,000
$23
Robbery
$150,000
$5
Assault
$2.6 million
$81
Burglary
$500,000
$16
Theft
$1.3 million
$42
Vehicle theft
$1,000,000
$31
Arson
$82,000
$3
Vandalism
$1.2 million
$38
Total
$8.1 million
$256
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Dakota Ridge means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Dakota Ridge is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower 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.
Schools in Dakota Ridge, CO average a SchoolGrade of A-: 49% of students test proficient, against 43% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Dakota Ridge on SchoolGrade
