Elevation of Denver
5,276ft
above sea level · 1,608 m
Denver is the capital of Colorado and its most populous city, with 740,613 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 3rd highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 39.74° N · 104.98° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 39° 44′ 21″ N · 104° 59′ 5″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 13S · 501,311 E · 4,398,807 N
- Zone 13 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Mountain Time
- UTC−7 · UTC−6 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 740,613 people
- 153 sq mi of land · 4,838 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2021: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Denver had 740,613 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 3.5% more than in April 2020, when it had 715,509. Its 153 sq mi of land work out to 4,838 people/sq mi; the state average is 58 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 482 places the Census counts in Colorado (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 12% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Denver County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 5.7 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Denver sits at 5,276 ft (1,608 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Denver is 4,178 ft above it.
Among the 91 cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 3rd highest.
Of the 3 cities in Colorado with a page, Denver is the lowest. The others are Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and Aurora (5,405 ft).
The highest point in Colorado is Mount Elbert, at 14,433 ft according to the USGS: 9,157 ft above Denver, 89 mi away in a straight line.
- 3 Denver 5,276 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Denver.
What is the elevation of Denver?
Denver is 5,276 feet (1,608 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Denver?
Latitude 39.73915 and longitude -104.98470, in decimal degrees (39° 44′ 21″ N · 104° 59′ 5″ W). In UTM, zone 13: 501,311 E and 4,398,807 N, on NAD83.
How does Denver rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 3rd highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Denver in?
Denver County, Colorado.
Which is higher, Denver or Aurora?
Aurora. Denver sits at 5,276 ft and Aurora at 5,405 ft: a difference of 129 ft, 8.1 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know