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Which cities are comparable
Every city is ranked twice: against all 340, and within its peer group of 14, itself and the 13 cities most like it in 2005. Pick a city to see its 13, and the numbers that made them alike. Each city has its own set, so peer groups overlap: Detroit can be Cleveland’s peer without Cleveland’s peers being Detroit’s.
Denver · the 13 other cities in its peer group · every other city. Click any dot to make it the centre.
Why these cities
In 2005, Denver was closest to these cities on population growth, prior 10 years, median household income, population. Most of what still separates them is share of its metro's jobs (18% of the difference).
| Matched on | Weight | Denver | Its peers (median) | All cities (median) | Share of what separates them |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2 | 551,691 | 537,870 | 137,910 | |
| Median household income | 2 | $42,370 | $41,578 | $43,244 | |
| Industry concentration | 1.5 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.10 | |
| Poverty rate | 1.5 | 15.3% | 17.8% | 15.3% | |
| Population growth, prior 10 years | 1.5 | 12.0% | 11.5% | 12.8% | |
| Unfunded pension debt per resident | 1 | $65 | $314 | $303 | |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree | 1 | no 2005 data | — | — | |
| Born abroad | 0.75 | 18.9% | 11.3% | 14.1% | |
| Density | 1 | 4,763 | 3,028 | 3,349 | |
| Latitude | 0.75 | 39.8° | 38.6° | 36.1° | |
| Longitude | 0.75 | -104.9° | -96.1° | -96.7° | |
| Share of its metro's jobs | 1 | 35.8% | 47.9% | 16.6% |
Nearest first
- distance 1.3 · its numbers
- distance 1.5 · its numbers
- distance 1.6 · its numbers
- distance 1.7 · its numbers
- distance 1.7 · its numbers
- distance 1.8 · its numbers
- distance 2.0 · its numbers
- distance 2.0 · its numbers
- distance 2.1 · its numbers
- distance 2.1 · its numbers
- distance 2.1 · its numbers
- distance 2.1 · its numbers
- distance 2.2 · its numbers
0 would be identical. The typical city’s nearest peer is 1.4 away. Denver’s numbers and ranks
Distance is taken after every feature is put on the same scale (how far from the national average, in standard deviations) and multiplied by its weight. A feature with no 2005 value for a city is set to the national median, which neither pulls it toward nor away from anyone. Ranking against these cities is explained on the main page.