Palo Park, Boulder, CO Violent Crime Rates and Maps

Palo Park is a neighborhood of 3,490 residents in Boulder, about 3 miles northeast of downtown · Updated November 2026

How common is violent crime in Palo Park?

Violent crime is low in Palo Park: an A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 72% of Americans live. Assaults make up 96% of it, and most of those are simple assaults, which involve no weapon and no serious injury. Boulder as a whole grades A for violent crime.

A+
Violent crime CrimeGrade™Safety score 925 of 1,000
Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods What this means

72% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more violent crime than Palo Park as a whole, and 28% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a violent crime safety score of 860, a CrimeGrade™ of A. Palo Park scores 925.

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 violent crime than most US neighborhoods.

A
Overall crimeSafety score 853 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhood
B+
Property crimeSafety score 730 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Violent crime map of Palo Park

Map of Palo Park shaded by violent crime CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its violent crime with the people who spend time there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy downtown or nightlife strip can show red while the homes around it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a solid 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


Violent crime rates and types in Palo Park

CrimeGrade™ estimates Palo Park has about 5.0 reported violent crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 62% less than the US as a whole and 44% less than Boulder as a whole.

All violent crime

Assaults

Robbery

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Violent crime here includes simple assaults, which the FBI's violent crime rate leaves out.

Assault is the most common violent crime in Palo Park, about 96% of the total.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
MurderA+under 1under 0.010.05
RapeAunder 10.130.38
RobberyA+under 10.070.62
AssaultA174.812.3

Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a violent crime with the people who spend time in an area, not only the people who live there. 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 violent 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, 30% of aggravated assaults happen at a home, against 53% nationally. Robberies happen most often at stores and businesses: 45% of them.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
RobberyStores and businesses (45%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assaultHomes (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.


Violent crime in Palo Park and nearby neighborhoods

Palo Park has less violent crime than 9 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods; only South Boulder has less.

Nearby neighborhoods

PlaceViolentOverallResidents
Palo ParkA+925A3,490
Crossroads 1 mileA-802B7,830
East Boulder 1 mileA888A-2,750
North Boulder 1 mileA914A13,400
Chaffee Park 22 milesC-383C-4,210
Show all 11
PlaceViolentOverallResidents
Washington Village 2 milesA890A-5,920
Central Boulder 2 milesA-841B+21,400
Colorado University 3 milesA909A-13,200
Southeast Boulder 3 milesA908A-22,500
South Boulder 4 milesA+926A16,200
Walnut Grove 14 milesA885A-7,080
Brandywine 14 milesA879A-5,140

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Palo Park. Beside each violent crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with neighborhoods of similar size and density, Palo Park is safer than 95% of them.

Neighborhoods of similar size and density

PlaceViolentOverallResidents
Palo ParkA+925A3,490
Windham, Coral Springs, FLA897A3,500
Prairie Hills, Madison, WIA-805A-3,500
Cannon Heights, Dalton, GAB+769B+3,490
Bakersville, Manchester, NHB+723B+3,500
Show all 10
PlaceViolentOverallResidents
Millbrooke Ranch, Pinellas Park, FLB-581B3,500
Lancaster Historic District, Lancaster, OHC+474C+3,500
McIntosh, Newport News, VAC-372C3,490
Globeville, Denver, COD225D+3,490
Dineen Park, Milwaukee, WIF0F3,480
Gano, Chicago, ILF0F3,490

Walkability, jobs and tree cover in Palo Park

Among the traits that tend to go with violent crime, one 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 assault, and it runs low here.

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 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
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more robbery.20 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 70% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Tree coverThe share of land under tree canopy where people live. Leafy neighborhoods tend to report less robbery.15% where people liveUS: 21%Higher than for 69% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.36% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 63% 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 violent crime costs Palo Park

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, violent crime costs Palo Park about $1.1 million a year, or $323 per resident. The costs that reach a bill, such as medical care, lost work and the justice system, come to about $280,000, or $79 per resident.

Billed cost of violent crime per resident, per year


How CrimeGrade™ works

The violent crime CrimeGrade™ covers murder, rape, robbery and assault, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.

It weighs each violent crime against the people who spend time in an area, so a busy downtown is graded on its workers and visitors as well as its residents.

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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
  • The Boulder Police Department publishes its own crime data

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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data