Best Places85396, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85396, 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.
85396 ranks 4,801st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 85396
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.
85396's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85396 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Household income$120,637 median, better than 90% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 85396 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Short commute33.5 minutes each way, better than only 15% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,109 a month, better than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85396
A household needs to earn about $125,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85396 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $120,637; 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 85396's effective rate of 0.51%, 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 85396
85396'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 85396.
Who works in 85396, and how
Work in 85396 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 26%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 85396
85396 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 67% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 85396 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 85396, month by month
85396 sees roughly 144 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 108 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs November through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 56° | 43° |
| April | 87° | 77° | 60° |
| July | 108° | 99° | 85° |
| October | 89° | 79° | 63° |
Flying in and out of 85396
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 33 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 25.2 million passengers in 2025, with 177 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 85396
Schools across 85396 average a C+, better than 50% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Verrado Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Verrado Heritage Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Belen Soto Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Verrado Middle SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Willow Canyon High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Shadow Ridge High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Verrado High SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85396 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85396 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 85396 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 85396 suits
Families
Schools land around the 50th percentile and crime safety beats 61%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 26% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 85396
Is 85396 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85396 ranks 4,801st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, what local pay buys, and high incomes, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85396 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $498,026. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $120,637 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 85396 safe?
Yes, 85396 is safer than 61% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $295 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 85396?
July highs average about 108 degrees, and January highs near 66 with lows near 43. That works out to about 144 pleasant days a year, more than 87% of zip codes.
Is 85396 good for families?
Schools beat 50% of zip codes, crime safety beats 61%, and childcare runs $1,109 a month.
Compare 85396 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85396. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85396 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.
85396 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85396: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85396: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85396: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85396: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85396 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.