Best Places81030, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81030, 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.
81030 ranks 18,672nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81030
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.
81030's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81030 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$555 a month, better than 90% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 145 pleasant days a year, better than 87% of zip codes
Where 81030 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81030
A household needs to earn about $48,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81030 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $80,260, 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 81030's effective rate of 0.30%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81030
81030's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81030.
Who works in 81030, and how
Work in 81030 centers on health care & social and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 81030
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81030.
What the weather is like in 81030, month by month
81030 sees roughly 145 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 31° | 16° |
| April | 74° | 54° | 36° |
| July | 97° | 79° | 63° |
| October | 75° | 55° | 38° |
Flying in and out of 81030
The nearest airport, Pueblo Memorial, is about 55 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 136 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81030
Schools across 81030 average a D, better than 11% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Cheraw SchoolD+ · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81030 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81030 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 81030 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81030
Is 81030 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81030 ranks 18,672nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, clean air, and low property taxes, and lowest on tree cover and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81030 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $197,200. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $80,260 median income, cost of living beats 71% of zip codes.
Is 81030 safe?
81030 is safer than 12% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $781 per resident a year.
Compare 81030 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81030. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81030 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.
81030 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81030: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81030: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81030: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81030: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81030 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.