Commercial Real Estate Market in Denver, CO
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: October 31
1,671 active listings and 22,861 off-market properties in Denver, CO. Commercial property asks $275/SF to buy and $22.00/SF/Yr to lease. Office vacancy runs 26.3%, the loosest of the segments tracked here.
Market Trends
Denver, CO spans 435.1 square miles in Arapahoe County, Colorado. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 October 2026.
Office
Office space in Denver, CO asks $24.28/SF/Yr to lease; the median asking sale price is $246/SF. Vacancy runs 26.3% in 2025, up from 14.5% in 2019.
Typical asking range for active listings in Denver, CO (the middle half): Lease $19.00–$33.00/SF/Yr (median $25.00/SF/Yr, 101 listings); Sale $190–$324/SF (median $246/SF, 42 listings).
Retail
Retail space in Denver, CO has a median asking sale price of $276/SF. Vacancy runs 5.8% in 2025, down from 6.7% in 2019. Down from a 2020 peak of 7.4%.
Typical asking range for active listings in Denver, CO (the middle half): Lease $19.00–$35.25/SF/Yr (median $27.50/SF/Yr, 34 listings); Sale $204–$444/SF (median $276/SF, 30 listings).
Industrial
Industrial space in Denver, CO asks $10.84/SF/Yr to lease; the median asking sale price is $242/SF. Vacancy runs 8.1% in 2025, up from 5.8% in 2019.
Typical asking range for active listings in Denver, CO (the middle half): Lease $10.00–$15.00/SF/Yr (median $12.00/SF/Yr, 36 listings); Sale $192–$314/SF (median $242/SF, 23 listings).
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Denver, CO has a median asking sale price of $287/SF. Vacancy runs 8.6% across the West region in 2025, up from 7% in 2022.
Typical asking range for active listings in Denver, CO (the middle half): Sale $251–$382/SF (median $287/SF, 90 listings).
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 63.7%
- Mixed use 16%
- Open space 10.5%
- Industrial 4.7%
- Commercial 2.7%
- Planned_development 1.9%
- Civic 0.2%
- Agricultural 0%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Denver, CO zones 98,956 acres across 184 districts. Commercial zoning covers 2.7% of zoned land, residential 63.7%, open space 10.5% and industrial 4.7%. The largest single district is Other Special Context Denver International Airport at 26.2%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 7.4% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
I-B General Industrial District 9.1.2.1 Purpose The following paragraphs explain the general purpose and intent of the Industrial Context zone districts. A. I-MX Industrial Mixed Use Districts (I-MX-3,-5, -8, -12) 1. General Purpose a. The Industrial Mixed Use districts are intended to develop in a pedestrian-oriented pattern, with buildings built up to the…
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Denver, CO has 1,413,283 residents in 642,238 households. Density runs 3,248 people per square mile. Median household income here is $92,269 and median gross rent $1,772 a month.
Tools
Lease vs Buy Breakeven
At $22.00/SF/Yr lease vs $275/SF buy → buying wins if held > 2.2 years.
At a 8% gross asking yield the payback reads short relative to leasing. Assumes 30% down at 6.5% fixed, 2% a year in taxes and upkeep, 3% appreciation, 5% opportunity cost, 2% closing plus 5% selling costs, and a 3% annual rent escalator.
Nearby Markets
| Market | Median Asking Price, $/SF | Median Asking Rent, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Arvada | $256 | $13.50 |
| Wheat Ridge | $272 | $15.25 |
| Lakewood | $246 | $27.00 |
| Westminster | $265 | $18.00 |
Commercial property in Denver, CO asks $275/SF. The 4 bordering markets run from $246/SF in Lakewood to $272/SF in Wheat Ridge, and the city sits above their $260/SF median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median price per square foot for commercial property in Denver?
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Denver?
What is the office vacancy rate in Denver?
Which property type has the lowest vacancy in Denver?
Is it cheaper to lease or buy commercial space in Denver?
How does Denver compare to nearby markets on price?
What zoning applies to commercial property in Denver?
Where does Realmo's Denver market data come from?
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and medians
- There are 702 active for-sale and 969 active for-lease listings in Denver, CO. The medians are based on 202 of the for-sale and 159 of the for-lease listings, those that state a price or rent per square foot. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a figure resting on fewer than 10 listings says so where it is quoted.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 98,956 zoned acres across 184 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 October 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- multifamily vacancy is reported at West region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 October 2026 · How Realmo checks market page data · Report a data issue
