Best Places81222, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81222, 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.
81222 ranks 29,594th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81222
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.
81222's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81222 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Short commute21.5 minutes each way, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 81222 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Household income$43,582 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81222
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81222 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $43,582, 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 81222's effective rate of 0.28%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 81222
81222 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81222.
Who works in 81222, and how
Work in 81222 centers on transportation & warehousing and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 81222
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81222.
What the weather is like in 81222, month by month
81222 sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 29° | 19° |
| April | 62° | 46° | 32° |
| July | 85° | 68° | 54° |
| October | 66° | 49° | 36° |
Flying in and out of 81222
The nearest airport, San Luis Valley Regional/Bergman Field, is about 63 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 120 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81222
Schools across 81222 average a B, better than 73% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Longfellow Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Cotopaxi Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Crest AcademyA+ · 75% proficient
Top high schools
- Salida High SchoolB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81222 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81222 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 81222 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81222
Is 81222 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81222 ranks 29,594th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, quiet, and low property taxes, and lowest on internet speeds and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81222 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $389,100. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $43,582 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 81222 safe?
81222 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,067 per resident a year.
Compare 81222 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81222. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81222 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.
81222 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81222: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81222: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81222: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81222: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81222 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.