Data through Sep 2026 (Denver) and Jul 2026 (Phoenix), FBI
Denver vs Phoenix crime rates
Denver’s violent crime rate was 17% higher than Phoenix’s over each one’s latest 12 months (to Sep 2026 for Denver and Jul 2026 for Phoenix): 793 against 678 per 100,000 residents a year. Denver’s property crime rate was 2.1 times Phoenix’s over the same period: 3,938 against 1,905 per 100,000 residents a year. Denver recorded 48 homicides (6.5 per 100,000 residents) and Phoenix 115 (6.8). Over the same period violent crime was down 13% in Denver and down 9% in Phoenix, each against its own previous 12 months.
Side by side
per 100k, per year| Measure | Denver, COcity, Colorado | Phoenix, AZcity, Arizona |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 793 | 678 |
| Property crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 3,938 | 1,905 |
| Homicidescount in the period | 486.5 per 100k | 1156.8 per 100k |
| Violent crime trendagainst the 12 months before | −13% | −9% |
| Property crime trendagainst the 12 months before | −9% | −12% |
| Residents | 733,212 | 1,688,662 |
| Period | 12 months to Sep 2026 | 12 months to Jul 2026 |
| Source | Denver Police Departmentas reported to the FBI | Phoenix Police Departmentas reported to the FBI |
Violent crime, month by month
Each line has its own scale, so read the direction, not the height; the table above has the rates.
Robbery and theft
| Offense | Denver | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Robberytaken by force or threat | — | 2,151127 per 100k |
| Burglaryentering a home or business to steal | — | 4,257252 per 100k |
Counts over each period; Denver’s source does not separate them yet; Phoenix does not report thefts from vehicles separately to the FBI, so its theft lines are not shown.
The FBI cautions against ranking or comparing places on these numbers alone: how dense a place is, its economy, how often residents report crime and how each agency records it all shape them. How to read crime numbers
What this comparison does not measure
read before deciding- These are crimes reported to the police. In the federal victim survey for 2024, about half of violent crime (47.9%, homicide aside) and under a third of property crime (30.5%) was reported, and that share can differ from one city to another.
- The two periods are not the same months: Denver’s figures run to Sep 2026 and Phoenix’s to Jul 2026, the latest each agency has reported in full.
- Phoenix has 2.3 times as many residents as Denver. A rate evens out the size, but in the smaller place a few dozen incidents move it more.
- City limits are drawn differently: one city may take in suburbs and open land that another leaves to its neighbors, and that alone moves a citywide rate. A citywide figure says little about any one neighborhood; Denver has neighborhood figures on its page.
More on each place
5 related pairsCrime in Denver, COCrime in Phoenix, AZAurora vs DenverColorado Springs vs DenverPhoenix vs TucsonLas Vegas vs PhoenixAustin vs Denver
Source and dates
FBI Crime Data Explorer- Denver, CO
- Denver Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Sep 2026; 733,212 residents.
- Phoenix, AZ
- Phoenix Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Jul 2026; 1,688,662 residents.
- How we count
- Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson, the FBI’s definitions for every agency. Methodology