Denver’s current Zillow ZHVI is $538,992, while Zillow ZORI is $1,877 per month. Together they imply a 4.18% gross yield before every operating cost. The home value is 5.69x ACS median household income, and annual ZORI rent is 23.78% of that income. Those citywide ratios frame entry cost and affordability, but they are not a property cash-flow estimate or a household-specific budget.
Citywide ACS reports 359,581 housing units; 51.24% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and 6.72% of all units are vacant. Its $616,000 median home value covers surveyed owner-occupied housing, while its $1,831 median gross rent covers surveyed occupied rental housing and includes selected utilities. Those ACS measures differ in definition and period from Zillow’s typical home value and observed market rent, so they should not be averaged or treated as confirmation of one another.
Direct city depth is mixed. The citywide ACS rent-burden share is 47.59%. Single-family homes make up 49.29% of units, and large multifamily units account for 32.30%; among vacant units, 41.74% are classified for rent. Denver’s population is 718,877, up 1.89% between overlapping ACS five-year vintages; that is not an annual rate, and boundary changes may affect the comparison. Median household income is $94,718, with poverty at 11.24% and unemployment at 4.88%. These facts describe citywide demand constraints and stock composition, but do not prove lease speed, causation or available investment inventory.
In Denver County, Realtor context shows 3,346 active listings and a 30.04% price-reduced share; these describe county marketing conditions, not Denver city inventory. In the broader Denver metro, BLS jobs fell 0.11% and Redfin months of supply was 2.9, indicating softer employment and listing context at metro scope only. Nationally, the Freddie Mac rate for a thirty-year mortgage was 6.58%, a financing benchmark rather than a city borrowing quote.
The central limitation is that aggregate values omit the property’s achievable rent, condition, expenses, financing and legal constraints. Before underwriting, verify unit-level rent comparables and concessions; the actual tax bill, insurance and climate exposure; utilities, association charges, management, repairs, capital needs and vacancy assumptions; and loan terms. Inspect the building, title, permits and lease terms, and test cash flow under lower rent and higher costs. City vacancy, tenure and survey shares should inform questions, not substitute for property diligence.