Best Places82649, WY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 82649, 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.
82649 ranks 16,912th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 82649
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.
82649's strengths and weaknesses
Where 82649 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 147 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$594 a month, better than 85% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 82649 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 82649
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 82649 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $69,450, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 82649's effective rate of 0.49%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 82649
82649 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 82649.
Who works in 82649, and how
Work in 82649 centers on health care & social and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 82649
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 82649.
What the weather is like in 82649, month by month
82649 sees roughly 147 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 30, with lows near 4. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 17° | 4° |
| April | 59° | 42° | 28° |
| July | 91° | 73° | 55° |
| October | 61° | 45° | 31° |
Flying in and out of 82649
The nearest airport, Central Wyoming Regional, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Salt Lake City International, about 257 miles away.
The best schools in and around 82649
Schools across 82649 average a B, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ralph Witters ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Rendezvous ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Shoshoni ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thermopolis Middle SchoolA+ · 71% proficient
- Shoshoni Junior High SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Riverton Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Hot Springs County High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Shoshoni High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 82649 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
82649 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 82649 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 82649
Is 82649 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 82649 ranks 16,912th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, heat safety, and the weather, and lowest on distance from a big city and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 82649 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $217,516. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $69,450 median income, cost of living beats 45% of zip codes.
Is 82649 safe?
Yes, 82649 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $293 per resident a year.
Compare 82649 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 82649. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 82649 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.
82649 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 82649: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 82649: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 82649: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 82649: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
82649 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.