CurrentCrimeMap

Data through September 2026, Thornton Police Department

Crime in Thornton, CO

The violent crime rate in Thornton is 235 per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to September 2026, 46% below the average of the 302 cities and county areas we cover. That is −16% compared with the previous 12 months.

A city monument sign in Thornton, Colorado.
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped

The numbers

12 months to Sep 2026

Violent crime

235 per 100,000 residents, per year

348 reported in the 12 months to Sep 2026

−16% vs. the previous 12 months

Property crime

2,032 per 100,000 residents, per year

3,004 reported in the 12 months to Sep 2026

−18% vs. the previous 12 months

All reported

2,267 per 100,000 residents, per year

3,352 reported in the 12 months to Sep 2026

Annual rates: reported incidents over the last 12 months per 100,000 residents (population 147,837, U.S. Census).

What counts as violent and property crime

Counted the FBI's way, the same for every city: violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson. Simple assault is not counted as violent. How we count

Where Thornton sits among covered places

violent, per 100k, per year

235

Thornton has the 209th-highest rate of the 302 cities and county areas on this site, higher than 93 of the other 301.

Carmel 51avg 437Detroit 1,632

The ring is Thornton; the tick is the average of all 302 cities and county areas.

PlaceViolent per 100kRank
Columbia County, FL (Sheriff)244204
Fort Collins, CO242205
St. Mary's County, MD (Sheriff)242206
Norman, OK239207
Hampton, VA239208
Thornton, CO235209
Marion County, FL (Sheriff)235210
Allentown, PA234211
Fontana, CA232212
Everett, WA232213
Clay County, FL (Sheriff)230214

The places closest to Thornton in the ranking, highest rate first. See all 302 cities and county areas

Thornton crime map

cities around it
Loading map…

SaferHigher rateViolent crimes per 100,000 residents per year, for each whole city. The colors are not crime locations.

The FBI publishes citywide totals from Thornton Police Department, not where each crime happened, so this map fills Thornton and the 6 covered cities around it with each one’s whole-city rate instead of plotting crimes.

Of the 8 covered cities nearest Thornton, all 8 have a higher violent crime rate. The closest is Denver, CO, 11 miles away.

Thornton and the covered places nearest to it, with each one’s violent crime rate and distance
PlaceViolent per 100kDistance
Thornton, CO235
Denver, CO79311 mi
Lakewood, CO59018 mi
Aurora, CO71119 mi
Fort Collins, CO24244 mi
Colorado Springs, CO65773 mi
Cheyenne, WY27084 mi
Casper, WY327215 mi
Rapid City, SD740301 mi
About the colors and distances

Colors use the same scale as the rest of the site, from the lowest to the highest violent crime rate among the 302 cities and county areas we cover. City outlines from the U.S. Census Bureau. Distances are straight-line, between city centers.

Reported crime by type

12 months to Sep 2026
OffenseReportedPer 100kvs. previous monthvs. a year earlier
HomicideViolent128.1—+500%
About these categories

The FBI publishes city totals by family, not a full breakdown by offence, so homicide is the only type Thornton Police Department reports separately here. Red means more than before, green means fewer. “Not yet” means the site does not have that month from a year earlier.

Month by month

Oct 2025 to Sep 2026

Violent crime −16%

020406080OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep2240
Violent crimes per month in Thornton, CO, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 and a year earlier
MonthViolent crimesMonth a year earlierViolent crimes
Oct 202523Oct 202459
Nov 202526Nov 202431
Dec 202526Dec 202428
Jan 202632Jan 202527
Feb 202633Feb 202527
Mar 202619Mar 202533
Apr 202629Apr 202530
May 202635May 202530
Jun 202647Jun 202537
Jul 202632Jul 202544
Aug 202624Aug 202529
Sep 202622Sep 202540

Homicides 12 vs. 2

012345OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSep10
Homicides per month in Thornton, CO, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 and a year earlier
MonthHomicidesMonth a year earlierHomicides
Oct 20250Oct 20240
Nov 20250Nov 20240
Dec 20250Dec 20240
Jan 20261Jan 20250
Feb 20260Feb 20252
Mar 20262Mar 20250
Apr 20261Apr 20250
May 20264May 20250
Jun 20260Jun 20250
Jul 20261Jul 20250
Aug 20262Aug 20250
Sep 20261Sep 20250

12 in 2026 through September, 2 in the same months of 2025. Compare with other places

Every month since Oct 2023
Reported crime per month in Thornton, CO
MonthViolentPropertyHomicides
Sep 2026221721
Aug 2026242702
Jul 2026322721
Jun 2026472410
May 2026352764
Apr 2026292501
Mar 2026192342
Feb 2026332100
Jan 2026322781
Dec 2025263010
Nov 2025262500
Oct 2025232500
Sep 2025402800
Aug 2025292940
Jul 2025443260
Jun 2025373260
May 2025302750
Apr 2025302420
Mar 2025332700
Feb 2025272512
Jan 2025273140
Dec 2024284000
Nov 2024313270
Oct 2024593630
Sep 2024253330
Aug 2024344130
Jul 2024353291
Jun 2024363570
May 2024443410
Apr 2024323440
Mar 2024313400
Feb 2024373421
Jan 2024303130
Dec 2023404121
Nov 2023313710
Oct 2023303451

How Thornton compares

per 100k, per year

Similar size

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to
45Rockford, IL7512,209147,186Aug 2026
55Columbia, SC6992,910147,021Aug 2026
65Gainesville, FL6472,040150,376Apr 2026
76Syracuse, NY6113,247145,890Aug 2026
143Waco, TX3731,731148,165Sep 2026
144Midland, TX3711,510146,444Aug 2026
146Pasadena, TX3701,635149,168Aug 2026
184Palm Bay, FL288463148,091Jul 2026
209Thornton, CO2352,032147,837Sep 2026
248Ada County, ID (Sheriff)153283145,483Sep 2026

The 10 places closest to Thornton in population, Thornton included, highest violent crime rate first.

Same state

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to
40Denver, CO7933,938733,212Sep 2026
52Aurora, CO7112,297407,319Sep 2026
62Colorado Springs, CO6572,740496,560Sep 2026
78Lakewood, CO5904,371157,016Jul 2026
205Fort Collins, CO2421,491171,159Jul 2026
209Thornton, CO2352,032147,837Sep 2026

All 6 places in Colorado on this site, highest violent crime rate first.

Nearby

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to
20Albuquerque, NM1,0163,209559,192Sep 2026
40Denver, CO7933,938733,212Sep 2026
49Rapid City, SD7403,93281,185Jul 2026
52Aurora, CO7112,297407,319Sep 2026
62Colorado Springs, CO6572,740496,560Sep 2026
78Lakewood, CO5904,371157,016Jul 2026
168Casper, WY3271,85958,701Aug 2026
190Cheyenne, WY2702,26765,811Aug 2026
205Fort Collins, CO2421,491171,159Jul 2026
209Thornton, CO2352,032147,837Sep 2026

The 9 places on this site closest to Thornton by distance, highest violent crime rate first.

#PlaceViolentPropertyResidentsData to

Figures are what each agency reports to the FBI, over the last 12 months it has reported in full, so the months differ. See all 302 cities and county areas in the rankings

Compare Thornton side by side with Lakewood, Fort Collins or Aurora, or with any other place.

Other cities in Colorado

5 city pages, closest first

Colorado as a whole has 407 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year, as reported to the FBI over the 12 months to Jun 2026; Thornton’s rate is 42% below the state’s.

DenverLakewoodAuroraFort CollinsColorado Springs

All 6 cities in Colorado

Common questions

answered with the data above
Is Thornton safe?

By reported violent crime, Thornton is well below the average of the 302 cities and county areas on this site: 235 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to September 2026, −16% versus the previous 12 months. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood, so the citywide figure is only a starting point.

Is there a crime map for Thornton?

This site does not have one for Thornton. The figures on this page come from the FBI, which receives city totals rather than locations, so CurrentCrimeMap shows how Thornton compares with nearby places such as Denver, CO instead of a street-level map.

What is the crime rate in Thornton?

235 violent and 2,032 property crimes per 100,000 residents per year, based on 3,352 incidents reported to Thornton Police Department over the 12 months to September 2026.

Is crime in Thornton going up or down?

It is going down: violent crime −16% and property crime −18% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before.

How many homicides has Thornton had in 2026?

Thornton Police Department reported 12 homicides from January to September 2026, the latest month it has reported in full, against 2 in the same months of 2025. Over the 12 months to Sep 2026 the count was 12, or 8 per 100,000 residents.

Where does the data come from?

From Thornton Police Department, via FBI Crime Data Explorer (dataset CO0010400). We count reported incidents by month and offense type and divide by the Census population. Reported crime undercounts actual crime; see the methodology page for what the numbers leave out.

Moving to or visiting Thornton

12 months to September 2026

What these numbers leave out: most crime never reaches the police. In the federal victim survey (BJS, 2024), about half of violent crimes and less than a third of property crimes were reported, and only a quarter of everyday thefts. Rates are per resident, so busy downtowns and tourist areas look worse than they are for the people who visit them.

The official source is FBI Crime Data Explorer. For what to look for, and what not to read into a rate, see how to read US crime numbers.

Source and dates

CO0010400
Source
Thornton Police Department, via FBI Crime Data Explorer (dataset CO0010400)
Latest complete month
September 2026
History on this site
October 2023 to September 2026 (45 months)
Update schedule
Thornton Police Department reports monthly to the FBI under the national NIBRS standard. We refresh every morning and publish the most recent 12 months the agency has reported in full.
Download
Monthly counts by offense (JSON)