Best Places81335, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81335, 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.
81335 ranks 16,316th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81335
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.
81335's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81335 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 158 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 81335 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81335
A household needs to earn about $92,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81335 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $94,036, 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 81335's effective rate of 0.25%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 81335
81335's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 81335.
Who works in 81335, and how
Work in 81335 centers on retail trade and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 81335
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81335.
What the weather is like in 81335, month by month
81335 sees roughly 158 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 13. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 27° | 13° |
| April | 68° | 49° | 28° |
| July | 93° | 74° | 53° |
| October | 70° | 49° | 31° |
Flying in and out of 81335
The nearest airport, Cortez Municipal, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Albuquerque International Sunport, about 209 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81335
Schools across 81335 average a D+, better than 12% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lewis-arriola Elementary SchoolC · 31% proficient
- Pleasant View Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Montezuma-cortez Middle SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Montezuma-cortez High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81335 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81335 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 81335 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81335
Is 81335 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81335 ranks 16,316th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, quiet, and a strong job market, and lowest on distance from a big city and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81335 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $380,100. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $94,036 median income, cost of living beats 77% of zip codes.
Is 81335 safe?
81335 is safer than 26% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $584 per resident a year.
Compare 81335 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81335. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81335 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.
81335 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81335: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81335: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81335: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81335: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81335 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.