Best Places18942, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 18942, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
18942 ranks 2,932nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on health care access by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 18942
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
18942's strengths and weaknesses
Where 18942 ranks high
- Healthcare accessBetter than 98% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 97% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Household income$135,780 median, better than 94% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 18942 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute32.9 minutes each way, better than only 17% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,200 a month, better than only 20% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 18942
A household needs to earn about $148,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 18942 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $135,780; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 18942's effective rate of 0.98%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 18942
18942 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 18942.
Who works in 18942, and how
Work in 18942 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 18942
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 18942.
What the weather is like in 18942, month by month
18942 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 90° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 18942
The nearest airport, Lehigh Valley International, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 41 miles away.
The best schools in and around 18942
Schools across 18942 average an A, better than 97% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Durham-nockamixon El SchA+ · 90% proficient
- Tinicum El SchA+ · 90% proficient
- Bedminster El SchA+ · 80% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pennridge North MsA+ · 70% proficient
- Palisades MsB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Palisades HsA+ · 90% proficient
- Pennridge HsA · 78% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 18942 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
18942 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 18942 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 18942
Is 18942 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 18942 ranks 2,932nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on health care access, good schools, and big-city access, and lowest on the weather and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 18942 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $554,400. The overall cost of living runs about 15% above the national average. Set against a $135,780 median income, cost of living beats 89% of zip codes.
Is 18942 safe?
Yes, 18942 is safer than 62% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $239 per resident a year.
Compare 18942 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 18942. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 18942 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
18942 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 18942: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 18942: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 18942: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 18942: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
18942 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.