ZIP Code 81211 — Buena Vista town, CO Demographics & Data

ZIP code 81211 covers Buena Vista, CO in Chaffee County with a population of about 8,191.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 47.0 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 719; U.S. House district CO-7; the DENVER media market.

Median household income in ZIP 81211 is about $62,132 — about 17% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 7.9%; unemployment rate near 10.9%; 35.2% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 1.5 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Food services, Construction, and Retail trade; about 17.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 2.2 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 $566,200 — about 63% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,179 (about even with the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 72.3% (about 6.9 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 81211 in Buena Vista, CO, a household would need roughly $156,000 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 $3,637. That is about 151% above the local median household income ($62,132), 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 Buena Vista town, CO as Relatively Low (composite score 51.1), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (71.7) and flood (64.7). 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 Buena Vista town, CO show little to no average snow and around 10.3 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 374 for ZIP 81211 (Buena Vista town, 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.