Best Places82217, WY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 82217, 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.
82217 ranks 16,850th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 82217
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.
82217's strengths and weaknesses
Where 82217 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$506 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 132 pleasant days a year, better than 82% of zip codes
Where 82217 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Household income$48,438 median, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 82217
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 82217 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $48,438; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 82217's effective rate of 0.70%, 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 82217
82217 runs younger 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 82217.
Who works in 82217, and how
Work in 82217 centers on agriculture & forestry and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 55%
- Work from home 33%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 82217
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 82217.
What the weather is like in 82217, month by month
82217 sees roughly 132 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 27° | 15° |
| April | 65° | 46° | 30° |
| July | 94° | 74° | 58° |
| October | 68° | 48° | 32° |
Flying in and out of 82217
The nearest airport, Scottsbluff/Western Nebraska Regional/Wm B Heilig Field, is about 34 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 134 miles away.
The best schools in and around 82217
Schools across 82217 average an A−, better than 82% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Southeast ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
- Lagrange ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southeast Junior High SchoolA · 60% proficient
Top high schools
- Southeast High SchoolA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 82217 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
82217 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 82217 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 82217
Is 82217 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 82217 ranks 16,850th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, low taxes, and quiet, and lowest on tree cover and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 82217 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $210,500. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $48,438 median income, cost of living beats 14% of zip codes.
Is 82217 safe?
Yes, 82217 is safer than 64% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $268 per resident a year.
Compare 82217 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 82217. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 82217 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.
82217 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 82217: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 82217: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 82217: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 82217: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
82217 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.