Best Places85603, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85603, 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.
85603 ranks 28,801st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85603
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.
85603's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85603 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 159 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Short commute21.6 minutes each way, better than 78% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 85603 ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$47,640 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85603
A household needs to earn about $46,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85603 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $47,640, 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 85603's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 85603
85603 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 85603.
Who works in 85603, and how
Work in 85603 centers on other services and public administration. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 85603
85603 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 85603 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 85603, month by month
85603 sees roughly 159 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 44° | 26° |
| April | 82° | 63° | 41° |
| July | 97° | 81° | 66° |
| October | 85° | 66° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 85603
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 78 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 186 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85603
Schools across 85603 average a D−, better than 3% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Palominas Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Greenway Primary SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Naco Elementary SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lowell SchoolF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Buena High SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
- Bisbee High SchoolF · 11% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85603 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85603 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 85603 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85603
Is 85603 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85603 ranks 28,801st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, short commutes, and biking, and lowest on the schools and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85603 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $182,785. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $47,640 median income, cost of living beats 8% of zip codes.
Is 85603 safe?
85603 is safer than 9% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $706 per resident a year.
Compare 85603 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85603. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85603 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.
85603 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85603: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85603: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85603: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85603: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85603 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.