Best Places85536, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85536, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
85536 ranks 11,024th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85536
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.
85536's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85536 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 160 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Household income$118,112 median, better than 89% of zip codes
Where 85536 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 10% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85536
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85536 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $118,112, 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 85536's effective rate of 0.40%, 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 85536
85536 runs younger than the country, 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 85536.
Who works in 85536, and how
Work in 85536 centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 85536
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 85536.
What the weather is like in 85536, month by month
85536 sees roughly 160 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 104 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs March, April, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 46° | 31° |
| April | 85° | 67° | 47° |
| July | 104° | 88° | 73° |
| October | 86° | 68° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 85536
The nearest airport, Show Low Regional, is about 84 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 121 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85536
Schools across 85536 average a D+, better than 10% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pima Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Fort Thomas Elementary SchoolF · 6% proficient
- Rice Elementary SchoolF · 5% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pima Junior High SchoolD · 23% proficient
- San Carlos Middle SchoolF · 8% proficient
Top high schools
- Fort Thomas High SchoolF · 4% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85536 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85536 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 85536 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85536
Is 85536 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85536 ranks 11,024th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, the weather, and low property taxes, and lowest on internet speeds and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85536 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $241,028. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $118,112 median income, cost of living beats 90% of zip codes.
Is 85536 safe?
85536 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $350 per resident a year.
Compare 85536 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85536. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85536 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.
85536 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85536: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85536: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85536: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85536: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85536 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.