Best Places85172, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85172, 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.
85172 ranks 31,230th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85172
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.
85172's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85172 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 179 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 85172 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 2% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85172
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85172 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $62,900, 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 85172's effective rate of 0.33%, 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 85172
85172's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 85172.
Who works in 85172, and how
Work in 85172 centers on construction and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in 85172
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 85172.
What the weather is like in 85172, month by month
85172 sees roughly 179 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 107 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through April, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 52° | 38° |
| April | 88° | 72° | 52° |
| July | 107° | 94° | 80° |
| October | 90° | 74° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 85172
The nearest airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 37 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85172
Schools across 85172 average a D−, better than 4% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mccartney Ranch Elementary SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Stanfield Elementary SchoolD− · 16% proficient
- Evergreen Elementary SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top middle schools
- Villago Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
- Cactus Middle SchoolD− · 15% proficient
- Casa Grande Middle SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top high schools
- Casa Grande Union High SchoolD · 22% proficient
- Vista Grande High SchoolD− · 13% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85172 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85172 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 85172 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85172
Is 85172 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85172 ranks 31,230th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, low property taxes, and low disaster risk, and lowest on civic engagement and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85172 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $160,273. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $62,900 median income, cost of living beats 20% of zip codes.
Is 85172 safe?
85172 is safer than 22% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $461 per resident a year.
Compare 85172 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85172. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85172 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.
85172 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85172: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85172: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85172: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85172: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85172 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.