Best Places85716, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85716, 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.
85716 ranks 15,620th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85716
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.
85716's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85716 ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 176 pleasant days a year, better than 95% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 85716 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85716
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85716 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $57,303, 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 85716's effective rate of 0.67%, 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 85716
85716's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 85716.
Who works in 85716, and how
Work in 85716 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 85716
85716 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 73% of zip codes and more late-night spots per resident than 81% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 85716 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 85716, month by month
85716 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 85716
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 104 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85716
Schools across 85716 average a C+, better than 63% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sam Hughes ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Academy Adventures MidtownD+ · 25% proficient
- John B Wright Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ida Flood Dodge Traditional Middle Magnet SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Doolen Middle SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Top high schools
- University High SchoolA+ · 90% proficient
- Edge High School - Himmel ParkD+ · 25% proficient
- Catalina Online Learning ExperienceD · 21% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85716 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85716 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 85716 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 85716 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 17% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 85716
Is 85716 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85716 ranks 15,620th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on biking, transit, and the weather, and lowest on tree cover and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85716 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $344,101. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $57,303 median income, cost of living beats 19% of zip codes.
Is 85716 safe?
85716 is safer than 7% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $719 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 85716?
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 85716 good for families?
Schools beat 63% of zip codes, crime safety beats 7%, and childcare runs $989 a month.
Compare 85716 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85716. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85716 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.
85716 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85716: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85716: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85716: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85716: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85716 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.