Denver ranks as one of the most unsafe vacation cities in America and there’s a very specific reason

If you’ve ever parked your car on a Denver street and returned to find the window smashed and your backpack gone, congratulations: You are a data point. Denver has been named the fourth-riskiest vacation destination in the United States for property crime, according to a new analysis by home security company Vivint using FBI data from summer 2024.

The Mile High City logged 401 property crimes per 100,000 residents during peak summer travel season, putting it behind only Honolulu (442), Seattle (415) and Philadelphia (408) among 25 popular U.S. vacation cities studied. That rate is nearly three times higher than Park City, Utah, which topped the safest list at just 136 per 100,000.

The ranking is driven by three categories: burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. And if you live in Denver, you already know which one is doing the heavy lifting. Car break-ins and vehicle thefts have been a persistent headache across the metro area for years, and the Vivint data suggests tourists are catching on. The analysis noted that Kansas City recorded the highest rate of motor vehicle theft among all destinations studied, but Denver’s overall property crime rate still landed it firmly in the top five.

To be fair, the study is measuring crimes per resident, not per visitor — and Denver’s permanent population of about 715,000 is relatively small compared to the 40 million-plus travelers who pass through the metro area annually. That math can skew the numbers. But the reality on the ground is hard to argue with: Denver has a property crime problem, and it’s visible enough that a national security company ranked it among the worst in the country for tourists.

The silver lining, if you squint? Denver didn’t make the top three. And unlike Miami, which saw property crime jump 60% since 2022, Denver’s numbers have at least stabilized. Several California cities — including San Francisco and Santa Barbara — actually saw declines. Park City, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Charleston and West Palm Beach rounded out the safest destinations, with Boston a surprising sixth at 181 per 100,000. (Apparently Boston drivers are terrible but Boston thieves are taking the summer off.)

Vivint’s advice is the same thing every Denverite already tells their visiting friends: Don’t leave anything visible in your car. Seriously. Not a phone charger. Not a gym bag. Not a jacket that might look like it’s hiding something. If you’re visiting Denver this summer, the hiking is world-class, the beer is cold and the sunsets over the Rockies are undefeated — just lock your car, take your stuff and you’ll be fine. Probably.