Best Places85606, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85606, 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.
85606 ranks 24,231st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85606
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.
85606's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85606 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 172 pleasant days a year, better than 94% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 85606 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Household income$50,115 median, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85606
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85606 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $50,115, 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 85606's effective rate of 0.59%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 85606
85606 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 85606.
Who works in 85606, and how
Work in 85606 centers on agriculture & forestry and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 62%
- Work from home 32%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 85606
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 85606.
What the weather is like in 85606, month by month
85606 sees roughly 172 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and September through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 47° | 33° |
| April | 80° | 64° | 48° |
| July | 93° | 80° | 68° |
| October | 83° | 67° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 85606
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 61 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 157 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85606
Schools across 85606 average a C, better than 26% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pearce Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Benson Primary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Willcox Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Benson Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Willcox Middle SchoolD · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- St David High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Benson High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Willcox High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85606 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85606 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 85606 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85606
Is 85606 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85606 ranks 24,231st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, the weather, and an educated workforce, and lowest on air quality and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85606 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $292,659. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $50,115 median income, cost of living beats 11% of zip codes.
Is 85606 safe?
Yes, 85606 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $287 per resident a year.
Compare 85606 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85606. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85606 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.
85606 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85606: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85606: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85606: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85606: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85606 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.