Best Places81652, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81652, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
81652 ranks 12,696th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 81652
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.
81652's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81652 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 157 pleasant days a year, better than 91% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 81652 ranks low
- Short commute36.8 minutes each way, better than only 8% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,321 a month, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81652
A household needs to earn about $133,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81652 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $97,097, 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 81652's effective rate of 0.38%, 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 81652
81652's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 81652.
Who works in 81652, and how
Work in 81652 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 81652
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81652.
What the weather is like in 81652, month by month
81652 sees roughly 157 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 81652
The nearest airport, Eagle County Regional, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 160 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81652
Schools across 81652 average a C−, better than 24% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cactus Valley Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Elk Creek ElementaryC− · 26% proficient
- Highland Elementary SchoolD · 18% proficient
Top middle schools
- Riverside SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- Rifle Middle SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Top high schools
- Coal Ridge High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Rifle High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81652 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81652 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 81652 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81652
Is 81652 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81652 ranks 12,696th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, low disaster risk, and low property taxes, and lowest on long commutes and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81652 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $539,214. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $97,097 median income, cost of living beats 73% of zip codes.
Is 81652 safe?
Yes, 81652 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $383 per resident a year.
Compare 81652 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81652. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81652 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.
81652 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81652: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81652: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81652: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81652: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81652 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.