Best Places85553, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85553, 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.
85553 ranks 30,639th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 85553
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.
85553's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85553 ranks high
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 195 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 85553 ranks low
- Short commute55.1 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85553
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85553 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $51,037, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 85553's effective rate of 0.67%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 85553
85553 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 85553.
Who works in 85553, and how
Work in 85553 centers on admin & support services and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 85553
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 85553.
What the weather is like in 85553, month by month
85553 sees roughly 195 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 41° | 33° |
| April | 70° | 57° | 45° |
| July | 91° | 78° | 66° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 85553
The nearest airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 50 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85553
Schools across 85553 average a B−, better than 55% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Tonto Basin ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85553 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85553 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 85553 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85553
Is 85553 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85553 ranks 30,639th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on quiet, the weather, and a strong job market, and lowest on long commutes and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85553 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $269,700. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $51,037 median income, cost of living beats 6% of zip codes.
Is 85553 safe?
85553 is safer than 25% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $442 per resident a year.
Compare 85553 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85553. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85553 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.
85553 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85553: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85553: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85553: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85553: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85553 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.