Best Places81122, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81122, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
81122 ranks 11,814th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81122
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.
81122's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81122 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 146 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 81122 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81122
A household needs to earn about $115,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81122 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $97,841, 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 81122's effective rate of 0.32%, 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 81122
81122 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81122.
Who works in 81122, and how
Work in 81122 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 81122
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81122.
What the weather is like in 81122, month by month
81122 sees roughly 146 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 81122
The nearest airport, Durango-La Plata County, is about 12 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 164 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81122
Schools across 81122 average a C−, better than 20% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bayfield Intermediate SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Pagosa Springs Elementary SchoolD− · 15% proficient
- Ignacio Elementary SchoolD− · 11% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bayfield Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Pagosa Springs Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Ignacio Middle SchoolF · 12% proficient
Top high schools
- Pagosa Springs High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Bayfield High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Ignacio High SchoolF · 7% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81122 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81122 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 81122 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81122
Is 81122 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81122 ranks 11,814th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, low property taxes, and civic engagement, and lowest on distance from a big city and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81122 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $470,407. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $97,841 median income, cost of living beats 74% of zip codes.
Is 81122 safe?
81122 is safer than 47% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $474 per resident a year.
Compare 81122 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81122. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81122 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.
81122 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81122: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81122: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81122: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81122: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81122 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.