Centennial Awards and Rankings | Keep Centennial Moving

Centennial Awards and Recognition

Centennial, Colorado, continues to receive national recognition for its quality of life, strong schools, safety and local amenities.

Ranked the #107 of 250 Best Place's to Live in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in its 2026–2027 national rankings
Named the #1 place to retire in Colorado by U.S. News & World Report
Ranked #8 in Niche’s 2026 Best Places to Live in Colorado, recognizing Centennial’s strong performance across schools, safety, cost of living and local amenities
Received Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
Awarded ninth consecutive Exceptional Workplace Award by Gallup

Awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2025/26 budget
Accredited by the American Public Works Association (APWA) for the third time
Ranked the #1 Best Place to Live in Colorado by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025–2026 national rankings
Received Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
Awarded eighth consecutive Exceptional Workplace Award by Gallup
Ranked second in Best City to Move to in Colorado by ConsumerAffairs

Livable Streets Program selected by Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) for a Metro Vision Award
Awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2024 budget
Centennial Named Best Government Agency, Centennial Center Park as Best Park and Centennial YMCA Center of Generations as Best Place to Meet People by Colorado Community News
Ranked sixth in the 10 Best Places to Live in Colorado by Stacker

Awarded seventh consecutive Exceptional Workplace Award by Gallup
No. 5 Best Splash Pad in USA Today’s 10 Best Splash Pads
Ranked fourth in The Best Small Cities to Start a Career as a Software Developer by Forage
Awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2023 budget
Received Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Ranked first in the 10 Best Places to Live in Colorado by HomeSnacks's
Recognized as the safest city in Colorado with a population of over 100,000 by MoneyGeek.com
Awarded sixth consecutive Exceptional Workplace Award by Gallup
Ranked second in 22 Best Places to Live in Colorado by Strategistico

Recognized one of 10 unique Zoom towns by Rent.com
No. 8 on Money Magazine's 50 Best Places to Live in America
SPARK Centennial Program selected by Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) for a Metro Vision Award
Accredited by the American Public Works Association (APWA) for the second time
Awarded fifth consecutive Exceptional Workplace Award (formerly the Gallup Great Workplace Award) by Gallup
Received Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report