Lakewood Rental
Market Intelligence

Market Overview

Lakewood occupies a unique position in the Denver metro rental landscape. As Jefferson County's largest city, it stretches from the urban edge of Denver's West Colfax corridor out to the foothills near Green Mountain. With 4 scored properties and an average 8-signal vacancy monitoring, Lakewood sits in the "Transitioning" range, matching Longmont's score and trailing Arvada's 65 and Thornton's 64.

Average rents of $1,959 place Lakewood in the middle of the pack, above Greeley ($1,562) and Longmont ($1,892) but below most other tracked cities. The 42-day average time to lease ties with Longmont for second-longest in our metro data, suggesting that Lakewood landlords face meaningful competition for tenants, particularly from neighboring Wheat Ridge and Arvada.

Lakewood's rental stock skews older than Thornton or Broomfield, with many properties built in the 1960s through 1980s. This creates a specific challenge: tenants comparing a 1970s Lakewood ranch home to a 2015 Thornton townhome at similar price points will often choose the newer product. Lakewood landlords who invest in updates and present well online outperform those who rely on location alone.

ZIP Code Breakdown

Lakewood's three tracked ZIP codes show a gradient from east to west, with proximity to Denver providing a measurable advantage.

Key Findings

• East Lakewood (80214) benefits from Denver proximity. Scoring 65, the Edgewater-adjacent 80214 ZIP is the clear standout. Its walkability to Sloan's Lake and Tennyson Street retail makes it competitive with Denver neighborhoods at slightly lower rents. This ZIP is the only Lakewood area that scores near the metro average.
• South Lakewood (80226) is the weakest area at 61. The Bear Creek and Green Mountain corridor has longer lease-up times and more frequent price adjustments. Properties here compete with a high volume of apartment inventory along Wadsworth Boulevard, which puts downward pressure on single-family rental pricing.
• Lakewood's aging housing stock is a competitive disadvantage. With average rents of $1,959 and 42 days to lease, Lakewood landlords earn less per unit and wait longer to fill than their Arvada counterparts ($2,330 rent, 34 days). The difference largely comes down to housing quality and perception. Lakewood properties that invest in kitchen and bathroom updates, professional photography, and strong listing descriptions consistently outperform the market average.

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