Postal Codes

81520 ZIP Code

Advertisement

English Español

ZIP code 81520 covers Clifton, Colorado, with a population of about 13,454 and a median household income of $50,769.

Population
13,454655 per square mile
Median age
35.92.8 points below the US average
Median household income
$50,76945% below the Colorado median
Poverty rate
19.1%6.7 points above the US average
Typical home value
$334,831up 31.4% in five years
Median rent
$1,01340% below the Colorado median
Degree or higher
11.4%23.6 points below the US average
Homeownership
65.6%0.6 points above the US average
Time zone
Mountain UTC-07:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
164

Where 81520 is

Clifton, 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

Population13,454
Median age35.9
Family households66.1%
Born outside the US8.8%
Speaks a language other than English at home14%
White (non-Hispanic)72.5%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.8%
Asian (non-Hispanic)2.8%
Hispanic or Latino20.6%
Veterans8.2%
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$50,769
Income per person$26,849
Poverty rate19.1%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance24.9%

Household income distribution

Under $10k7.8%
$10–15k4.6%
$15–20k3.5%
$20–25k6.4%
$25–30k7.6%
$30–35k4.0%
$35–40k7.4%
$40–45k3.6%
$45–50k4.3%
$50–60k8.2%
$60–75k9.1%
$75–100k12.8%
$100–125k7.9%
$125–150k3.9%
$150–200k3.6%
$200k or more5.4%

Income as declared to the IRS

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

Tax returns filed6,410
Mean adjusted gross income$44,944
Returns declaring $200,000 or more0.9%
Returns, under $25k33.2%
Returns, $25k–$50k34.9%
Returns, $50k–$75k15.9%
Returns, $75k–$100k8.3%
Returns, $100k–$200k6.7%
Returns, $200k or more0.9%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$228,000
Median gross rent$1,013
Rent as a share of household income32.5%
Owner-occupied65.6%
Vacant homes3.8%
Median year built1984

What the homes are

Detached house53.8%
Attached house3%
2 to 4 units17.7%
5 to 19 units2.3%
20 or more units1.5%
Mobile home21.6%
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$334,831as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 1.5%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 31.4%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 122.2%
Typical asking rent$1,332as of 2026-07
Typical asking rent, 1 yearup 1%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$334,831$95,754

$95,754 in 2000 to $334,831 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate6.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher11.4%
High school diploma or higher81.1%
Works from home11.7%
Drives to work alone72.4%
Takes public transport1.3%
Commutes 45 minutes or more7.2%
Health

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

Obesity32.9% 0.5 pts below the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes10.7% 1.3 pts below the national average of 12%
Currently smokes17.2% 4 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure30.7% 3.4 pts below the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health22.8% 2.5 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)16.2% 4.9 pts above the national average of 11.3%
Depression25.7% 3.8 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity24.9% 0.5 pts below the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis27.3% 2.2 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking16.6% 0.6 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication68.8% 5.9 pts below the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)7.9% same as the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma12.4% 2 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease6.7% 0.5 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year69% 7.7 pts below the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening80.6% 5.3 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability19.4% 4.6 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening61.5% 2.8 pts below the national average of 64.3%
COPD8.4% 1.8 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist57% 4.3 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability35.5% 4.8 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Hearing disability8.1% 1.4 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol30.7% 5.5 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Independent living disability10.3% 1.9 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Mammography use64.6% 11.3 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)20% 3.2 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability15.2% 1.2 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)16.6% 3.1 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.6% 0.6 pts above the national average of 4%
Sleeps under 7 hours32% 4.4 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke3.7% same as the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost16.9% 3.9 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability6.4% 0.8 pts above the national average of 5.6%
Advertisement
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments164
People employed1,487
Annual payroll$46,964,000
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 69.2% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively High across the 5 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss64.9 out of 100
Community resilience43.1 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.

Lightning98Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought88.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Avalanche88.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide82.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire76.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake67.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding64.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather59.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail33.2Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave30.1Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave27.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm17.3Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind16.3Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado14.2Very 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$50,769$92,470$78,538
Income per person$26,849$50,489$43,289
Poverty rate19.1%9.4%12.4%
Median home value$228,000$502,200$303,400
Median gross rent$1,013$1,693$1,348
Homeownership65.6%66.3%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher11.4%44.7%35%
Unemployment rate6.6%4.5%5.2%
Works from home11.7%18.8%13.5%
Born outside the US8.8%9.6%13.9%
Median age35.937.538.7
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 stationGRAND JUNCTION 6ESE, CO US4.5 km away
Rain in a year9 in
Snow in a year13 in

Average high and low by month

January39.1°F / 19.2°F0.5 in rain, 3.4 in snow
February46.5°F / 25.2°F0.46 in rain, 2.1 in snow
March57.9°F / 33.7°F0.77 in rain, 1.1 in snow
April65.4°F / 40.2°F0.96 in rain, 0.6 in snow
May75.6°F / 49.5°F0.93 in rain
June87.7°F / 59.2°F0.45 in rain
July93.1°F / 65.3°F0.72 in rain
August89.8°F / 63°F0.78 in rain
September81.2°F / 54.4°F1.21 in rain
October67.1°F / 41.4°F0.92 in rain, 0.2 in snow
November52.3°F / 29.9°F0.68 in rain, 1.7 in snow
December39.6°F / 20°F0.51 in rain, 3.5 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 supermarket23% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket23% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket10% of this ZIP code's area
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%.

Mesa County Valley School District 51100% 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 vulnerability69more vulnerable than 69% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status67more vulnerable than 67% of US census tracts
Household characteristics61more vulnerable than 61% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status25more vulnerable than 25% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport76more vulnerable than 76% of US census tracts
Walkability6.9 out of 20Below average
Nearby ZIP codes

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

81504 Grand Junction, CO3.6 km away
81503 Grand Junction, CO5.7 km away
81526 Palisade, CO7.5 km away
81502 Grand Junction, CO7.5 km away
81501 Grand Junction, CO8.3 km away
81506 Grand Junction, CO9 km away
81527 Whitewater, CO12.6 km away
81505 Grand Junction, CO13 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.

Mesa County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneMountain (UTC-07:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area20.55 sq mi
Water area0.04 sq mi
Population density655 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude39.0805, -108.4496

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.

Advertisement