Best Places85641, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85641, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
85641 ranks 2,319th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85641
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.
85641's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85641 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 176 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Household income$129,625 median, better than 92% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 85641 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Short commute32.4 minutes each way, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85641
A household needs to earn about $107,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85641 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $129,625, 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 85641's effective rate of 0.73%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 85641
85641's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 85641.
Who works in 85641, and how
Work in 85641 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 85641
85641 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 85641 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 85641, month by month
85641 sees roughly 176 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 103 degrees. January highs sit near 68, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through April, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 51° | 38° |
| April | 86° | 69° | 51° |
| July | 103° | 88° | 76° |
| October | 89° | 73° | 58° |
Flying in and out of 85641
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 124 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85641
Schools across 85641 average a B, better than 66% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ocotillo Ridge ElementaryA+ · 78% proficient
- Senita Valley Elementary SchoolA+ · 77% proficient
- Esmond Station SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
Top middle schools
- Corona Foothills Middle SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
- Old Vail Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Benson Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Cienega High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Andrada Polytechnic High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Benson High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85641 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85641 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 85641 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 85641 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 95% of zip codes and 21% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 95% of zip codes and health care access beats 64%.
Common questions about living in 85641
Is 85641 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85641 ranks 2,319th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, the weather, and a strong job market, and lowest on air quality and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85641 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $414,803. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $129,625 median income, cost of living beats 95% of zip codes.
Is 85641 safe?
Yes, 85641 is safer than 91% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $196 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 85641?
July highs average about 103 degrees, and January highs near 68 with lows near 38. That works out to about 176 pleasant days a year, more than 95% of zip codes.
Is 85641 good for families?
Schools beat 66% of zip codes, crime safety beats 91%, and childcare runs $989 a month.
Compare 85641 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85641. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85641 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.
85641 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85641: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85641: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85641: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85641: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85641 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.