As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, Westminster ranks the 241st largest city in the nation.
Westminster, an Adams County suburb of roughly 116,000 between Denver and Boulder, sits in an unusual middle position: high household incomes alongside a single-parent concentration that reads more like Denver and Aurora than the surrounding Front Range suburbs. Center-based infant care runs about $22,000 a year on Colorado state-average pricing, eating 23% of the city's $96,145 median household income — better than most of the state but still above the national 22%. Adams County's establishment density of 2.0 per 1,000 children under five is the lowest in the Denver metro, the same supply ceiling that constrains Thornton. The 32% single-parent share matches the national figure but leaves a meaningful share of Westminster households absorbing the full burden alone. Westminster ranks 114th of 250 — fifth of nine Colorado cities.
Key highlights & actionable takeaways
- 114th nationally, score 52 (Moderate) — fifth of nine Colorado cities; Adams County suburb between Denver and Boulder.
- 32% single-parent share — at the national figure but well above Colorado's 27% — leaves a meaningful share of households absorbing the full burden alone.
- Infant care eats 23% of household income on state-average pricing — better than most of Colorado, still above the 22% national figure.
Actionable takeaways
- Two demand profiles inside one city line. Westminster's high household incomes and the 32% single-parent share point to a market with two distinct family economies — full-time dual-career placements at one end, part-time and after-school coverage at the other. Local providers can confirm the split.
- Adams County's 2.0 establishments per 1,000 kids is the binding ceiling. Westminster shares Thornton's lowest-in-the-metro provider density. Newer northern tracts face the longest drives to a licensed slot — a worth-mapping story for local outlets.
- Pricing is a state-average estimate. Adams County is not in the federal price database; the $22,000 figure anchors to the 2024 CCAoA Colorado survey forward-projected to 2025.
Affordability — 41/100
Center-based infant care in Westminster runs about $22,000 a year — roughly $1,840 a month, or 23% of the city's $96,145 median household income. That figure comes from statewide-average pricing data: the U.S. Department of Labor's National Database of Childcare Prices does not publish rates for Adams County, so the price draws from Child Care Aware of America's 2024 Colorado survey forward-projected to 2025. Westminster's relatively high median household income brings the burden percentage down compared to most of the Colorado cohort, but the absolute gap to the national median — about $4,860 more per year for an infant slot — remains. For Westminster households at or below the city median, the math still tilts toward two earners as a precondition rather than a choice.
Supply — 26/100
Westminster has roughly 40 licensed slots for every 100 kids under five with working parents — short of the desert threshold but well below the national 73 per 100. Adams County licenses about 68 establishments serving an estimated 17,400 slots against demand from roughly 43,500 kids. Establishment density of 2.0 per 1,000 under-fives is the lowest in the Denver-metro cohort and pulls Westminster's supply score down sharply, the same structural shortage Thornton faces. Provider density is concentrated in older municipal cores rather than the newer suburban tracts where most family demand sits.
Workforce — 85/100
The median Westminster childcare worker earns $18.62 an hour, or about $38,720 a year — reported at the Denver-Aurora MSA level. That same wage equals only 68% of MIT's living-wage threshold for the metro ($27.41/hr). Workforce pay matches the rest of metro Denver: solid by national standards, still short against the local cost of living.
Family strain — 71/100
About 73% of Westminster mothers with kids under six are in the labor force — five points above the national 68% and second-highest in the Colorado cohort. Single-parent share runs at 32%, in line with the national 32% and well above Colorado's statewide 27%. Westminster sits in an interesting middle position: high household incomes alongside a single-parent concentration that more closely resembles Denver and Aurora than the surrounding suburbs. The strain dimension scores in the upper half because high mothers' work participation signals access; the single-parent share keeps it from scoring higher.
Policy support — 65/100
Colorado's universal pre-K reaches about 70% of four-year-olds, with state per-child spending of $5,722 and 2 of NIEER's 10 quality benchmarks met. The state's FAMLI paid leave program, effective January 2024, offers up to 12 weeks at up to 90% wage replacement. CCDF subsidy reach is 12.7% statewide. Policy is measured at the state level; Westminster inherits Colorado's full mix.
In-home care in Westminster
In-home care in Westminster reflects broader Denver-metro nanny-market patterns, with full-time live-out rates running in line with the wider Front Range market. Westminster's mix of higher-income dual-career households and a meaningful single-parent share makes it a market with two distinct demand profiles — full-time single-family placements on one end, occasional and after-school coverage on the other. Nanny shares offer some bridging between those segments for families on the edge of center-care affordability.
Methodology: The the score is a 0-100 composite score across five dimensions: Affordability (30 pts), Supply (25 pts), Workforce Health (15 pts), Family Strain (15 pts), and Policy Support (15 pts). City-level prices and supply use the city's primary containing county. Policy Support is measured at the state level. Full methodology and data sources: beverly.io/research/methodology.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates; U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau National Database of Childcare Prices; Child Care Aware of America 2024 state survey (Colorado pricing anchor); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2024) and QCEW; Buffett Early Childhood Institute / Bipartisan Policy Center / Child Care Aware childcaregap.org (Sept 2025); NIEER State of Preschool Yearbook 2024; HHS ACF CCDF FY2023; National Partnership for Women & Families (March 2026).