Best Places85742, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85742, 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.
85742 ranks 3,010th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 85742
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.
85742's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85742 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 189 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 85742 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$989 a month, better than only 34% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85742
A household needs to earn about $101,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85742 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $106,727, 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 85742'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 85742
85742's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 85742.
Who works in 85742, and how
Work in 85742 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 85742
85742 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 90% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 85742 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 85742, month by month
85742 sees roughly 189 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 102 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 41. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| April | 86° | 70° | 54° |
| July | 102° | 89° | 77° |
| October | 89° | 74° | 60° |
Flying in and out of 85742
The nearest airport, Tucson International, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 92 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85742
Schools across 85742 average a C+, better than 45% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Legacy Traditional School - Northwest TucsonA− · 60% proficient
- Richard B Wilson Jr SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Mesa Verde Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lawrence W Cross Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- Marana Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
- Tortolita Middle SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Canyon Del Oro High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Ironwood Ridge High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Mountain View High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85742 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85742 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 85742 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 85742 suits
Families
Schools land around the 45th percentile and crime safety beats 86%.
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 87% of zip codes and 21% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 96% of zip codes and health care access beats 63%.
Common questions about living in 85742
Is 85742 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85742 ranks 3,010th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, few empty homes, and population health, and lowest on summer heat and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85742 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $391,600. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $106,727 median income, cost of living beats 87% of zip codes.
Is 85742 safe?
Yes, 85742 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $211 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 85742?
July highs average about 102 degrees, and January highs near 66 with lows near 41. That works out to about 189 pleasant days a year, more than 96% of zip codes.
Is 85742 good for families?
Schools beat 45% of zip codes, crime safety beats 86%, and childcare runs $989 a month.
Compare 85742 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85742. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85742 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.
85742 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85742: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85742: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85742: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85742: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85742 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.