Best Places81419, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81419, 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.
81419 ranks 20,564th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and state finances rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81419
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.
81419's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81419 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 81419 ranks low
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81419
A household needs to earn about $95,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81419 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $68,313, 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 81419's effective rate of 0.34%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81419
81419 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81419.
Who works in 81419, and how
Work in 81419 centers on construction 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 75%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 81419
81419 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 77% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 81419 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 81419, month by month
81419 sees roughly 120 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 31° | 22° |
| April | 71° | 54° | 39° |
| July | 98° | 80° | 63° |
| October | 71° | 53° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 81419
The nearest airport, Montrose Regional, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 180 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81419
Schools across 81419 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Fork School Of Integrated StudiesA+ · 75% proficient
- Paonia K-8B+ · 55% proficient
- North Fork Montessori @ CrawfordB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cedaredge Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- North Fork High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Grand Mesa Choice AcademyF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81419 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81419 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 81419 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81419
Is 81419 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81419 ranks 20,564th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, low disaster risk, and quiet, and lowest on state finances and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81419 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $388,630. The overall cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. Set against a $68,313 median income, cost of living beats 28% of zip codes.
Is 81419 safe?
81419 is safer than 23% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $665 per resident a year.
Compare 81419 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81419. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81419 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.
81419 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81419: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81419: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81419: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81419: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81419 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.