Postal Codes

81252 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 81252 covers Westcliffe, Colorado, with a population of about 4,413 and a median household income of $70,825.

Population
4,4137 per square mile
Median age
58.319.6 points above the US average
Median household income
$70,82523% below the Colorado median
Poverty rate
9.6%2.8 points below the US average
Typical home value
$419,922up 26.8% in five years
Median rent
$93345% below the Colorado median
Degree or higher
38.4%3.4 points above the US average
Homeownership
87.3%22.3 points above the US average
Time zone
Mountain UTC-07:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
162

Where 81252 is

Westcliffe, Colorado — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population4,413
Median age58.3
Family households60.9%
Born outside the US2.7%
Speaks a language other than English at home1.6%
White (non-Hispanic)93%
Black (non-Hispanic)0%
Asian (non-Hispanic)1.3%
Hispanic or Latino2.1%
Veterans10.2%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$70,825
Income per person$44,391
Poverty rate9.6%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance7%

Household income distribution

Under $10k4.0%
$10–15k3.4%
$15–20k3.5%
$20–25k5.1%
$25–30k6.2%
$30–35k3.1%
$35–40k2.0%
$40–45k2.7%
$45–50k1.8%
$50–60k5.0%
$60–75k17.3%
$75–100k11.9%
$100–125k12.9%
$125–150k7.5%
$150–200k5.7%
$200k or more7.9%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed2,330
Mean adjusted gross income$88,506
Returns declaring $200,000 or more8.2%
Returns, under $25k27.5%
Returns, $25k–$50k20.6%
Returns, $50k–$75k14.2%
Returns, $75k–$100k10.3%
Returns, $100k–$200k19.3%
Returns, $200k or more8.2%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$362,200
Median gross rent$933
Rent as a share of household income29.4%
Owner-occupied87.3%
Vacant homes44.7%
Median year built1993

What the homes are

Detached house86.6%
Attached house0.4%
2 to 4 units1.2%
5 to 19 units1.9%
20 or more units0.2%
Mobile home9.2%
Boat, RV or van0.5%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$419,922as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 0.1%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 26.8%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 105.9%
Typical home value since 2000
200920172026$419,922$147,197

$168,012 in 2009 to $419,922 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate4.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher38.4%
High school diploma or higher96%
Works from home20.8%
Drives to work alone62.6%
Takes public transport0%
Commutes 45 minutes or more29%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity26.4% 7 pts below the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes12.4% same as the national average of 12%
Currently smokes12.3% 0.9 pts below the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure38.5% 4.4 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health17.6% 2.7 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)7% 4.3 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression22% same as the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity19.1% 6.3 pts below the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis35.9% 10.8 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking13.8% 2.2 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication79.2% 4.5 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)13.2% 5.5 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.3% 0.9 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease8.8% 2.6 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year78.3% 1.6 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening90.6% 4.7 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability12.5% 2.3 pts below the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening70.2% 5.9 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD8.7% 2.1 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist65.6% 4.3 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability31.3% 0.6 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Hearing disability9.8% 3.1 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol40.8% 4.6 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Independent living disability7.5% 0.9 pts below the national average of 8.4%
Mammography use71% 4.9 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)14.2% 2.6 pts below the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability15.3% 1.3 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)14.7% 1.2 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability3.9% same as the national average of 4%
Sleeps under 7 hours29.1% 7.3 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.4% 1 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost7.9% 5.1 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability4.7% 0.9 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments162
People employed679
Annual payroll$22,220,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 66.3% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Moderate
Expected annual loss71.4 out of 100
Community resilience55.3 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Lightning100Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide97.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire97.1Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather90.9Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail89.8Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought89.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding71.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind63.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado36.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake29.2Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave21.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Avalanche12.1Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm10.6Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave2.6Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Colorado and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPColoradoUnited States
Median household income$70,825$92,470$78,538
Income per person$44,391$50,489$43,289
Poverty rate9.6%9.4%12.4%
Median home value$362,200$502,200$303,400
Median gross rent$933$1,693$1,348
Homeownership87.3%66.3%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher38.4%44.7%35%
Unemployment rate4.6%4.5%5.2%
Works from home20.8%18.8%13.5%
Born outside the US2.7%9.6%13.9%
Median age58.337.538.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationWESTCLIFFE, CO US3 km away
Rain in a year14 in
Snow in a year84 in

Average high and low by month

January39.6°F / 8.3°F0.48 in rain, 8.4 in snow
February41.7°F / 12.1°F0.58 in rain, 10.4 in snow
March49.6°F / 19.6°F1.06 in rain, 15 in snow
April56.4°F / 25.7°F1.56 in rain, 19.6 in snow
May65.8°F / 33.3°F1.41 in rain, 4.3 in snow
June76.9°F / 40.6°F0.79 in rain
July80.6°F / 44.9°F2.66 in rain
August78°F / 44.1°F1.98 in rain
September72.4°F / 37°F0.9 in rain, 0.9 in snow
October61.3°F / 26.1°F0.95 in rain, 8.4 in snow
November48.9°F / 16.7°F0.69 in rain, 8.5 in snow
December39.8°F / 8°F0.53 in rain, 8.8 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket100% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

Custer County School District C-1100% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability37more vulnerable than 37% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status40more vulnerable than 40% of US census tracts
Household characteristics21more vulnerable than 21% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status20more vulnerable than 20% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport60more vulnerable than 60% of US census tracts
Walkability4.7 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

81232 Hillside, CO22.2 km away
81253 Wetmore, CO25 km away
81131 Crestone, CO29.2 km away
81223 Cotopaxi, CO35.4 km away
81244 Rockvale, CO36.1 km away
81221 Coal Creek, CO36.3 km away
81143 Moffat, CO36.7 km away
81215 Canon City, CO39.6 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Custer County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneMountain (UTC-07:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area612.95 sq mi
Water area1.2 sq mi
Population density7 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude38.1230, -105.4332

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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