Palo Park is a neighborhood of 3,490 residents in Boulder, about 3 miles northeast of downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Palo Park in Boulder safe?
Yes, crime in Palo Park is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Palo Park sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 54% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against B+. Boulder as a whole grades A-.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 853 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
54% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Palo Park as a whole, and 46% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Palo Park scores 853.
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 Palo Park, Boulder, CO at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Palo Park in Boulder, 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
Crime rates and types in Palo Park
CrimeGrade™ estimates Palo Park has about 26 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 31% less than the US as a whole and 40% less than Boulder as a whole.
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 is the most common crime in Palo Park, about 43% of everything reported, but assault 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.
Where and when crime happens in Boulder
The Boulder Police Department polices Palo Park; these figures cover Boulder as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Boulder as a whole, 50% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 40% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (50%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (30%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Homes (40%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (33%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (45%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (30%)
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.
How Palo Park compares with nearby neighborhoods
Palo Park has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods; only South Boulder and North Boulder have less.
Empty homes, night lighting and walkability in Palo Park
One thing sets Palo Park apart: it has a Walk Grade of D (12 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and assault, and assault runs low here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.NoneUS: 7.1%Lower than for 99% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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.88% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 98% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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. 86% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (12 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 88% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.3 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 71% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 Palo Park
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Palo Park about $457 a year per household, 62% 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 $1.6 million a year, or $472 per resident.
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 Palo Park 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.
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
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 Palo Park, Boulder, CO average a SchoolGrade of A: 51% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Palo Park on SchoolGrade
