Best Places81647, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81647, 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.
81647 ranks 15,511th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 81647
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.
81647's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81647 ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 160 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 81647 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,321 a month, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81647
A household needs to earn about $113,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81647 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $83,692, 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 81647's effective rate of 0.37%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 81647
81647 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81647.
Who works in 81647, and how
Work in 81647 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 81647
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81647.
What the weather is like in 81647, month by month
81647 sees roughly 160 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 13. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 25° | 13° |
| April | 67° | 49° | 32° |
| July | 95° | 75° | 56° |
| October | 69° | 49° | 33° |
Flying in and out of 81647
The nearest airport, Eagle County Regional, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 153 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81647
Schools across 81647 average a C−, better than 23% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sopris Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Cactus Valley Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Elk Creek ElementaryC− · 26% proficient
Top middle schools
- Riverside SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Glenwood Springs Middle SchoolD · 19% proficient
- Gypsum Creek Middle SchoolF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Glenwood Springs High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Eagle Valley High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Coal Ridge High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81647 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81647 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 81647 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81647
Is 81647 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81647 ranks 15,511th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on population health, low property taxes, and civic engagement, and lowest on an overheated housing market and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81647 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $460,263. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $83,692 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 81647 safe?
81647 is safer than 41% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $486 per resident a year.
Compare 81647 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81647. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81647 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.
81647 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81647: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81647: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81647: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81647: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81647 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.