ZIP Code 81133 — Fort Garland CDP, CO Demographics & Data

ZIP code 81133 covers Fort Garland, CO in Costilla County with a population of about 1,056.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 53.4 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 719; U.S. House district CO-3; the DENVER media market.

Fort Garland, CO reads as a military / base-oriented community on US5’s intent model (base-related place names in city/county context). Service members and families often look up Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, on-base mail (PSC / P.O. Box) addresses, and nearby ZIP demographics when relocating.

US5 shows 2026 DoD BAH locality rates for this ZIP’s Military Housing Area on this page (pay grade × with/without dependents). Treat the table as a planning reference and confirm entitlement with your finance office or the official DTMO BAH lookup.

Median household income in ZIP 81133 is about $55,179 — about 27% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 24.3%; unemployment rate near 1.4%; 39.1% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 5.4 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Construction, Agriculture, and Retail trade; about 33.2% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 18.0 points above 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 $258,500 — about 26% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $539 (about 54% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 88.7% (about 23.3 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 81133 in Fort Garland, 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 $1,661. That is about 29% above the local median household income ($55,179), 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 Fort Garland CDP, CO as Very Low (composite score 6.6), which is relatively lower than many U.S. communities. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (73.1) and flood (17.2). 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 Fort Garland CDP, CO show little to no average snow and around 9.8 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 48 for ZIP 81133 (Fort Garland CDP, 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.