Best Places85540, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85540, 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.
85540 ranks 15,233rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 85540
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.
85540's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85540 ranks high
- Short commute10.5 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 165 pleasant days a year, better than 93% of zip codes
Where 85540 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 10% of zip codes
Who lives in 85540
85540 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 85540.
Who works in 85540, and how
Work in 85540 centers on mining & oil & gas and education. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 0%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 85540
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 85540.
What the weather is like in 85540, month by month
85540 sees roughly 165 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 85540
The nearest airport, Grant County, is about 73 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 158 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85540
Schools across 85540 average a B−, better than 54% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Metcalf Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Duncan ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Fairbanks Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Morenci High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Duncan High SchoolD · 21% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85540 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85540 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 85540 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85540
Is 85540 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85540 ranks 15,233rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, low disaster risk, and low property taxes, and lowest on crime and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85540 safe?
85540 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $877 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 85540?
July highs average about 104 degrees, and January highs near 62 with lows near 31. That works out to about 165 pleasant days a year, more than 93% of zip codes.
Compare 85540 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85540. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85540 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.
85540 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85540: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85540: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85540: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85540: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85540 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.
- 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.