Best Places81653, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 81653, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
81653 ranks 18,567th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 81653
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.
81653's strengths and weaknesses
Where 81653 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Household income$115,367 median, better than 88% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 141 pleasant days a year, better than 86% of zip codes
Where 81653 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,481 a month, better than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 81653
A household needs to earn about $177,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 81653 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $115,367, 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 81653's effective rate of 0.30%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 81653
81653 runs older than the country, 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 81653.
Who works in 81653, and how
Work in 81653 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 81653
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 81653.
What the weather is like in 81653, month by month
81653 sees roughly 141 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 8. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 19° | 8° |
| April | 58° | 41° | 27° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 48° |
| October | 60° | 42° | 28° |
Flying in and out of 81653
The nearest airport, Yampa Valley, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 157 miles away.
The best schools in and around 81653
Schools across 81653 average a C−, better than 27% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Strawberry Park Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Hayden Valley Elementary SchoolD · 18% proficient
- Sandrock ElementaryF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Steamboat Springs Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Craig Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Steamboat Springs High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Moffat County High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Hayden High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 81653 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
81653 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 81653 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 81653
Is 81653 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 81653 ranks 18,567th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, low property taxes, and heat safety, and lowest on cell coverage and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 81653 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $725,316. The overall cost of living runs about 11% above the national average. Set against a $115,367 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 81653 safe?
81653 is safer than 40% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $476 per resident a year.
Compare 81653 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 81653. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 81653 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.
81653 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 81653: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 81653: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 81653: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 81653: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
81653 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.