ZIP Code 81321 — Cortez city, CO Demographics & Data

ZIP code 81321 covers Cortez, CO in Montezuma County with a population of about 14,278.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 42.7 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 970; U.S. House district CO-3; the ALBUQUERQUE - SANTA FE media market.

Median household income in ZIP 81321 is about $59,737 — about 21% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 11.9%; unemployment rate near 4.8%; 27.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 6.1 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Healthcare, and Education; about 6.3% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 8.9 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $259,500 — about 25% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $895 (about 23% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 71.4% (about 6.0 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 81321 in Cortez, CO, a household would need roughly $71,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,667. That is about 19% above the local median household income ($59,737), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Cortez city, CO as Relatively Low (composite score 47.6), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (93.6) and flood (56.1). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Cortez city, CO show little to no average snow and around 11.7 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 653 for ZIP 81321 (Cortez city, CO) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.