Colorado Market Rents in AMI Terms

Name: Colorado Market Rents in AMI Terms
Creator: Luke Teater

By Luke Teater, Thrive Economics. Data: ApartmentList September 2026 rents and HUD FY2026 AMI rent limits.

The median new-lease rent in every Colorado community ApartmentList tracks, expressed as the Area Median Income (AMI) level whose maximum affordable rent matches it.

Subsidy programs cap each unit’s rent at a percentage of Area Median Income: most projects are underwritten to 60% AMI rents, and some Colorado programs go as high as 120% AMI. In 35 of the 42 Colorado communities ApartmentList tracks rents for, a 2-bedroom apartment rented at 60% AMI would be above the market median. An income-restricted project with rents above the market median may struggle to lease units if comparable units are available on the open market.

53% AMI

the market 2 BR median in the typical tracked community (median of 42)

35 of 42

communities where a 60% AMI maximum rent would exceed the market 2 BR median

≤70%

highest band anywhere — no tracked community’s 2 BR median exceeds the 70% AMI limit

Bedrooms

Map layer

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Market 2 BR median as an AMI level — by county

Band = the lowest AMI level whose maximum rent covers the market median, so ≤55% means the median rent is at or below the 55% AMI rent limit. Hover or tap any shaded area for detail; the table below has every community, including the six metro areas not drawn on the map.

All 42 communities

Click a column heading to sort. “→ AMI” is the continuous implied percentage; the chip is the AMI band — ≤55% means the median rent is at or below the 55% AMI rent limit (and above the 50% limit).

Community	Type	County table	1 BR rent	→ AMI	Band	2 BR rent	→ AMI	Band
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO	Metro	Denver	$1,424	52.7%	≤55%	$1,704	52.6%	≤55%
Colorado Springs, CO	Metro	El Paso	$1,141	52.3%	≤55%	$1,332	50.8%	≤55%
El Paso County, CO	County	El Paso	$1,136	52%	≤55%	$1,332	50.8%	≤55%
Denver, CO	City	Denver	$1,427	52.9%	≤55%	$1,778	54.9%	≤55%
Denver County, CO	County	Denver	$1,428	52.9%	≤55%	$1,778	54.9%	≤55%
Arapahoe County, CO	County	Arapahoe	$1,335	49.4%	≤50%	$1,667	51.5%	≤55%
Jefferson County, CO	County	Jefferson	$1,445	53.5%	≤55%	$1,659	51.2%	≤55%
Adams County, CO	County	Adams	$1,338	49.6%	≤50%	$1,584	48.9%	≤50%
Colorado Springs, CO	City	El Paso	$1,134	52%	≤55%	$1,328	50.7%	≤55%
Aurora, CO	City	Arapahoe	$1,245	46.1%	≤50%	$1,575	48.6%	≤50%
Douglas County, CO	County	Douglas	$1,714	63.5%	≤70%	$1,978	61%	≤70%
Larimer County, CO	County	Larimer	$1,410	57.7%	≤60%	$1,549	52.8%	≤55%
Fort Collins, CO	Metro	Larimer	$1,410	57.7%	≤60%	$1,549	52.8%	≤55%
Weld County, CO	County	Weld	$1,106	47.2%	≤50%	$1,446	51.4%	≤55%
Greeley, CO	Metro	Weld	$1,106	47.2%	≤50%	$1,446	51.4%	≤55%
Boulder County, CO	County	Boulder	$1,544	54.9%	≤55%	$1,843	54.6%	≤55%
Boulder, CO	Metro	Boulder	$1,544	54.9%	≤55%	$1,843	54.6%	≤55%
Fort Collins, CO	City	Larimer	$1,344	55%	≤55%	$1,516	51.7%	≤55%
Pueblo County, CO	County	Pueblo	$783	42.9%	≤45%	$1,090	49.7%	≤50%
Pueblo, CO	Metro	Pueblo	$783	42.9%	≤45%	$1,090	49.7%	≤50%
Lakewood, CO	City	Jefferson	$1,449	53.7%	≤55%	$1,626	50.2%	≤55%
Thornton, CO	City	Adams	$1,524	56.4%	≤60%	$1,773	54.7%	≤55%
Arvada, CO	City	Jefferson	$1,441	53.4%	≤55%	$1,686	52%	≤55%
Westminster, CO	City	Jefferson	$1,546	57.3%	≤60%	$1,707	52.7%	≤55%
Pueblo, CO	City	Pueblo	$775	42.4%	≤45%	$1,088	49.6%	≤50%
Greeley, CO	City	Weld	$1,081	46.2%	≤50%	$1,393	49.5%	≤50%
Centennial, CO	City	Arapahoe	$1,690	62.6%	≤70%	$1,923	59.4%	≤60%
Boulder, CO	City	Boulder	$1,587	56.5%	≤60%	$1,980	58.7%	≤60%
Highlands Ranch, CO	City	Douglas	$1,763	65.3%	≤70%	$2,194	67.7%	≤70%
Longmont, CO	City	Boulder	$1,349	48%	≤50%	$1,584	47%	≤50%
Castle Rock, CO	City	Douglas	$1,447	53.6%	≤55%	$1,562	48.2%	≤50%
Broomfield, CO	City	Broomfield	$1,789	66.3%	≤70%	$2,157	66.6%	≤70%
Broomfield County, CO	County	Broomfield	$1,789	66.3%	≤70%	$2,157	66.6%	≤70%
Commerce City, CO	City	Adams	$1,448	53.6%	≤55%	$2,248	69.4%	≤70%
Parker, CO	City	Douglas	$1,693	62.7%	≤70%	$1,916	59.1%	≤60%
Littleton, CO	City	Arapahoe	$1,390	51.5%	≤55%	$1,707	52.7%	≤55%
Northglenn, CO	City	Adams	$1,291	47.8%	≤50%	$1,595	49.2%	≤50%
Englewood, CO	City	Arapahoe	$1,146	42.4%	≤45%	$1,627	50.2%	≤55%
Wheat Ridge, CO	City	Jefferson	$1,187	44%	≤45%	$1,480	45.7%	≤50%
Golden, CO	City	Jefferson	$1,353	50.1%	≤55%	$1,714	52.9%	≤55%
Lone Tree, CO	City	Douglas	$1,747	64.7%	≤70%	$2,160	66.7%	≤70%
Superior, CO	City	Boulder	$1,802	64.1%	≤70%	$2,352	69.7%	≤70%

Method & sources

Market rents: ApartmentList Rent Estimates, September 2026 release — the estimated median rent on new leases signed that month, by bedroom count. The estimates are anchored to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which covers the full rental stock — single-family homes, older apartments, and luxury buildings alike — not just units listed on ApartmentList, and they reflect the prices at which units actually rent rather than asking prices for units that sit vacant. Month-to-month movement is measured on the same units over time (the approach used by the Case‑Shiller home-price index), so changes reflect market conditions, not shifts in which units happen to be listed. Because the ACS anchor is gross rent (table B25031), utilities are approximately included — roughly like-for-like with the AMI maximum rents, which are also gross.
AMI rent limits: set by HUD — FY2026 Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project income limits and maximum rents, effective May 1, 2026, as published in CHFA’s county tables; standard rows only (HERA Special rows, which apply to pre-2009 projects, are excluded).
Band: the lowest published AMI level whose maximum rent for that bedroom count is at or above the market median, written ≤ that level: the median rent is at or below that level’s limit and above the next lower published level’s. The sign describes the rent, not household income eligibility. Implied AMI%: straight-line interpolation between the two adjacent published levels.
Geography: cities use their county’s limit table; metro areas use the core county (Denver‑Aurora‑Lakewood→Denver, Colorado Springs→El Paso, Boulder→Boulder, Fort Collins→Larimer, Greeley→Weld, Pueblo→Pueblo).
Coverage: ApartmentList publishes 42 Colorado communities (25 cities, 11 counties, 6 metros). Grand Junction / Mesa County and most rural counties are not covered — unshaded on the map. Market medians are for the whole community; individual buildings and neighborhoods vary.

Boundaries: Census cartographic (counties, 2024) and TIGER (places, 2024).