Cortez is a city in Montezuma County, Colorado, home to about 8,976 people across 6.2 square miles. Its ZIP code is 81321.
Homes sold for a median of $217 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a buyer’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Cortez. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Cortez’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)194 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Cortez Municipal Airport (CEZ)4 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Albuquerque, NM189 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Phoenix, AZ327 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Cortez; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Cortez had 8,766 residents in the 2020 census, up 10% since 2000.
It’s the 76th largest of 472 towns in Colorado by population.
Montezuma County grew from 3,058 residents in 1900 to 25,849 in 2020.
Montezuma County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 91°F in summer, and winter lows average 17°F. About 12 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 33 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Cortez, CO weather station (about a mile away).
6,808 jobs at 759 businesses in Montezuma County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
205 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Cortez.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 21 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 33 |
| Dentists | 18 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 38 |
| Mental health providers | 57 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 21 |
| Optometrists | 7 |
| Chiropractors | 10 |
| Pharmacies | 8 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (8 nearby)
Grocery stores (2 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 2 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1886.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beech Street PreschoolCortez | Pre-K | 70 | Public | <0.1 mi |
| Battle Rock Charter SchoolCortez | K–6 | 88 | Charter | 14.1 mi |
| Children's Kiva Montessori SchoolCortez | K–8 | 130 | Charter | 0.6 mi |
| Kemper Elementary SchoolCortez | K–5 | 339 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Lewis-Arriola Elementary SchoolCortez | K–5 | 125 | Public | 9.0 mi |
| Mesa Elementary SchoolCortez | K–5 | 359 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Montezuma-Cortez Middle SchoolCortez | 6–8 | 505 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Montezuma-Cortez High SchoolCortez | 9–12 | 598 | Public | 1.4 mi |
| Southwest Open Charter SchoolCortez | 9–12 | 131 | Charter, Alternative Education | 1.6 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse Christian AcademyCortez | Pre-K–12 | 81 | Baptist | 2.3 mi |
| Cortez Adventist Christian SchoolCortez | K–8 | 22 | Seventh-day Adventist | 0.9 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.