Best Places81005, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81005, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
81005 ranks 15,809th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81005
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
81005's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81005 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 87% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 141 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 81005 ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81005
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81005 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $74,942, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 81005's effective rate of 0.53%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81005
81005 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81005.
Who works in 81005, and how
Work in 81005 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 81005
81005 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 87% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 81005 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 81005, month by month
81005 sees roughly 141 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 31° | 15° |
| April | 73° | 53° | 34° |
| July | 97° | 78° | 61° |
| October | 75° | 54° | 36° |
Flying in and out of 81005
The nearest airport, Pueblo Memorial, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 112 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81005
Schools across 81005 average a D−, better than 4% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cedar Ridge Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Sunset Park Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
- Prairie Winds Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Corwin International Magnet SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Sky View Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Pueblo Academy Of ArtsF · 7% proficient
Top high schools
- Pueblo West High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Paragon Learning CenterD+ · 25% proficient
- South High SchoolD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81005 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81005 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 81005 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 81005 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 8% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 81005
Is 81005 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81005 ranks 15,809th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, biking, and transit, and lowest on the schools and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81005 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $294,960. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $74,942 median income, cost of living beats 60% of zip codes.
Is 81005 safe?
81005 is safer than 22% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $644 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 81005?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 15. That works out to about 141 pleasant days a year, more than 86% of zip codes.
Is 81005 good for families?
Schools beat 4% of zip codes, crime safety beats 22%, and childcare runs $1,064 a month.
Compare 81005 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81005. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81005 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
81005 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81005: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81005: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81005: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81005: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81005 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.