Best Places81121, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81121, 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.
81121 ranks 31,420th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81121
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.
81121's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81121 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 150 pleasant days a year, better than 89% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 65% of zip codes
Where 81121 ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 2% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Household income$44,712 median, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81121
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81121 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $44,712, 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 81121's effective rate of 0.27%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 81121
81121 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 81121.
Who works in 81121, and how
Work in 81121 centers on professional & technical and construction. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 26%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 81121
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81121.
What the weather is like in 81121, month by month
81121 sees roughly 150 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 9. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 24° | 9° |
| April | 65° | 47° | 27° |
| July | 90° | 71° | 52° |
| October | 68° | 49° | 30° |
Flying in and out of 81121
The nearest airport, Durango-La Plata County, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 145 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81121
Schools across 81121 average a D−, better than 2% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pagosa Springs Elementary SchoolD− · 15% proficient
- Ignacio Elementary SchoolD− · 11% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pagosa Springs Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Ignacio Middle SchoolF · 12% proficient
Top high schools
- Pagosa Springs High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Ignacio High SchoolF · 7% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81121 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81121 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 81121 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81121
Is 81121 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81121 ranks 31,420th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, low property taxes, and the weather, and lowest on the schools and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81121 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $365,100. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $44,712 median income, cost of living beats 5% of zip codes.
Is 81121 safe?
81121 is safer than 12% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $772 per resident a year.
Compare 81121 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81121. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81121 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.
81121 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81121: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81121: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81121: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81121: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81121 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.