Best Places81521, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81521, 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.
81521 ranks 7,184th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81521
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.
81521's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81521 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 156 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 81521 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81521
A household needs to earn about $114,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81521 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $93,385, 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 81521's effective rate of 0.40%, 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 81521
81521 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81521.
Who works in 81521, and how
Work in 81521 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 81521
81521 has more parkland per resident than 71% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 81521 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 81521, month by month
81521 sees roughly 156 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 29° | 18° |
| April | 70° | 53° | 37° |
| July | 98° | 82° | 64° |
| October | 70° | 54° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 81521
The nearest airport, Grand Junction Regional, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 206 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81521
Schools across 81521 average a C+, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wingate Elementary SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Appleton Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Loma Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Redlands Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Fruita Middle SchoolD+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Fruita Monument High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81521 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81521 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 81521 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81521
Is 81521 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81521 ranks 7,184th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, civic engagement, and low property taxes, and lowest on air quality and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81521 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $463,276. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $93,385 median income, cost of living beats 67% of zip codes.
Is 81521 safe?
Yes, 81521 is safer than 74% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $353 per resident a year.
Compare 81521 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81521. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81521 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.
81521 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81521: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81521: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81521: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81521: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81521 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.