Best Places81049, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81049, 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.
81049 ranks 23,614th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 81049
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.
81049's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81049 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$470 a month, better than 96% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 159 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
Where 81049 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81049
A household needs to earn about $58,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81049 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,250, 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 81049's effective rate of 0.20%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81049
81049 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81049.
Who works in 81049, and how
Work in 81049 centers on agriculture & forestry and public administration. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 81049
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81049.
What the weather is like in 81049, month by month
81049 sees roughly 159 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 32° | 17° |
| April | 72° | 52° | 35° |
| July | 94° | 77° | 61° |
| October | 74° | 54° | 38° |
Flying in and out of 81049
The nearest airport, Pueblo Memorial, is about 92 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 189 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81049
Schools across 81049 average a C−, better than 21% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Kim Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
Top high schools
- Kim Undivided High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- La Junta Jr/sr High SchoolD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81049 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81049 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 81049 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81049
Is 81049 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81049 ranks 23,614th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, clean air, and a strong job market, and lowest on crime and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81049 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $240,100. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $66,250 median income, cost of living beats 46% of zip codes.
Is 81049 safe?
81049 is safer than 6% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $979 per resident a year.
Compare 81049 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81049. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81049 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.
81049 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81049: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81049: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81049: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81049: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81049 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.