Best Places85942, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 85942, 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.
85942 ranks 25,373rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 85942
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.
85942's strengths and weaknesses
Where 85942 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 160 pleasant days a year, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 85942 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 85942
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 85942 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $54,506, 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 85942's effective rate of 0.38%, 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 85942
85942'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 85942.
Who works in 85942, and how
Work in 85942 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 85942
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 85942.
What the weather is like in 85942, month by month
85942 sees roughly 160 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 85942
The nearest airport, Show Low Regional, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 146 miles away.
The best schools in and around 85942
Schools across 85942 average a B−, better than 61% of zip codes.
Top middle schools
- Holbrook Junior High SchoolD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Holbrook High SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 85942 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
85942 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 85942 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 85942
Is 85942 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 85942 ranks 25,373rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, a strong job market, and low property taxes, and lowest on tree cover and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 85942 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $299,000. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $54,506 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 85942 safe?
85942 is safer than 22% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $484 per resident a year.
Compare 85942 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 85942. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 85942 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.
85942 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 85942: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 85942: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 85942: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 85942: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
85942 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.