Best Places82642, WY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 82642, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
82642 ranks 24,062nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 82642
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.
82642's strengths and weaknesses
Where 82642 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 154 pleasant days a year, better than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$628 a month, better than 83% of zip codes
Where 82642 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 82642
A household needs to earn about $47,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 82642 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $77,248, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 82642's effective rate of 0.45%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 82642
82642 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 82642.
Who works in 82642, and how
Work in 82642 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 82642
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 82642.
What the weather is like in 82642, month by month
82642 sees roughly 154 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 30, with lows near 4. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 17° | 4° |
| April | 59° | 42° | 28° |
| July | 91° | 73° | 55° |
| October | 61° | 45° | 31° |
Flying in and out of 82642
The nearest airport, Central Wyoming Regional, is about 45 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 282 miles away.
The best schools in and around 82642
Schools across 82642 average a B−, better than 57% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ralph Witters ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Shoshoni ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Poison Spider ElementaryC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thermopolis Middle SchoolA+ · 71% proficient
- Centennial Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
- Shoshoni Junior High SchoolB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Hot Springs County High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Shoshoni High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Roosevelt High SchoolF · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 82642 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
82642 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 82642 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 82642
Is 82642 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 82642 ranks 24,062nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, the weather, and low property taxes, and lowest on noise and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 82642 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $190,834. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $77,248 median income, cost of living beats 64% of zip codes.
Is 82642 safe?
82642 is safer than 42% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $342 per resident a year.
Compare 82642 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 82642. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 82642 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.
82642 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 82642: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 82642: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 82642: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 82642: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
82642 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.