Best Places85929, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85929, 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.
85929 ranks 26,592nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on the weather by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85929
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.
85929's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85929 ranks high
- Nice weatherabout 195 pleasant days a year, better than 97% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Short commute21.0 minutes each way, better than 81% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 77% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 85929 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85929
A household needs to earn about $81,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85929 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $63,175, 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 85929's effective rate of 0.48%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 85929
85929 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 85929.
Who works in 85929, and how
Work in 85929 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 85929
85929 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 68% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 85929 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 85929, month by month
85929 sees roughly 195 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 33° | 23° |
| April | 67° | 52° | 37° |
| July | 87° | 73° | 61° |
| October | 69° | 53° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 85929
The nearest airport, Show Low Regional, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 127 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85929
Schools across 85929 average a D+, better than 17% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Nikolaus Homestead Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Blue Ridge Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Show Low Junior High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Blue Ridge Jr High SchoolD · 24% proficient
Top high schools
- Blue Ridge High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Show Low High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85929 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85929 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 85929 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85929
Is 85929 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85929 ranks 26,592nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on the weather, low property taxes, and short commutes, and lowest on air quality and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85929 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $323,110. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $63,175 median income, cost of living beats 11% of zip codes.
Is 85929 safe?
85929 is safer than 39% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $378 per resident a year.
Compare 85929 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85929. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85929 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.
85929 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85929: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85929: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85929: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85929: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85929 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.