Best Places81129, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81129, 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.
81129 ranks 28,631st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81129
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.
81129's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81129 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$510 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 81129 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$40,625 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81129
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81129 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $40,625, 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 81129's effective rate of 0.38%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81129
81129 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 81129.
Who works in 81129, and how
Work in 81129 centers on construction and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 81129
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81129.
What the weather is like in 81129, month by month
81129 sees roughly 157 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 81129
The nearest airport, San Luis Valley Regional/Bergman Field, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 146 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81129
Schools across 81129 average a D, better than 9% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Guadalupe Elementary SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Antonito Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Antonito High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81129 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81129 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 81129 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81129
Is 81129 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81129 ranks 28,631st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, heat safety, and affordable childcare, and lowest on tree cover and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81129 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $142,300. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $40,625 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 81129 safe?
81129 is safer than 14% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $735 per resident a year.
Compare 81129 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81129. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81129 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.
81129 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81129: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81129: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81129: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81129: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81129 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.