Best Places81133, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81133, 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.
81133 ranks 30,272nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81133
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.
81133's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81133 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 189 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 81133 ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$42,030 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Short commute41.7 minutes each way, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81133
A household needs to earn about $65,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81133 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $42,030, 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 81133's effective rate of 0.33%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81133
81133 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 81133.
Who works in 81133, and how
Work in 81133 centers on construction and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 63%
- Work from home 34%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 81133
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81133.
What the weather is like in 81133, month by month
81133 sees roughly 189 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 70 degrees. January highs sit near 28, with lows near 14. The comfortable stretch runs July and August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 20° | 14° |
| April | 45° | 34° | 27° |
| July | 70° | 57° | 49° |
| October | 51° | 40° | 32° |
Flying in and out of 81133
The nearest airport, San Luis Valley Regional/Bergman Field, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 173 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81133
Schools across 81133 average a D−, better than 3% of zip codes.
Top high schools
- Sierra Grande K-12 SchoolD · 14% proficient
- Centennial SchoolD− · 12% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81133 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81133 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 81133 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81133
Is 81133 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81133 ranks 30,272nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, clean air, and the weather, and lowest on the schools and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81133 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $265,524. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $42,030 median income, cost of living beats 6% of zip codes.
Is 81133 safe?
81133 is safer than 7% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $931 per resident a year.
Compare 81133 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81133. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81133 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.
81133 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81133: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81133: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81133: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81133: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81133 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.