Best Places81120, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81120, 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.
81120 ranks 26,441st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and the cost of living against local pay is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 81120
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.
81120's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81120 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$510 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 156 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
Where 81120 ranks low
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Household income$46,357 median, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81120
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81120 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $46,357, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 81120's effective rate of 0.41%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81120
81120 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 81120.
Who works in 81120, and how
Work in 81120 centers on construction and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 81120
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81120.
What the weather is like in 81120, month by month
81120 sees roughly 156 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near -1. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 17° | -1° |
| April | 64° | 45° | 23° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 46° |
| October | 67° | 45° | 24° |
Flying in and out of 81120
The nearest airport, San Luis Valley Regional/Bergman Field, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 144 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81120
Schools across 81120 average a D+, better than 12% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- La Jara Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Manassa Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Guadalupe Elementary SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Centauri Middle SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Antonito Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Centauri High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Antonito High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81120 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81120 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 81120 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81120
Is 81120 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81120 ranks 26,441st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, heat safety, and affordable childcare, and lowest on the cost of living against local pay and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81120 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $222,439. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $46,357 median income, cost of living beats 7% of zip codes.
Is 81120 safe?
81120 is safer than 12% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $819 per resident a year.
Compare 81120 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81120. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81120 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.
81120 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81120: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81120: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81120: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81120: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81120 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.