Best Places86003, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86003, 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.
86003 ranks 33,086th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 86003
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.
86003's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86003 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 128 pleasant days a year, better than 80% of zip codes
Where 86003 ranks low
- Short commute54.6 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86003
A household needs to earn about $17,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86003 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $43,988, 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 a national 0.90% effective rate, since no local rate is published, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 86003
86003'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 86003.
Who works in 86003, and how
Work in 86003 centers on hospitality & food and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 86003
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86003.
What the weather is like in 86003, month by month
86003 sees roughly 128 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 30° | 16° |
| April | 63° | 46° | 27° |
| July | 85° | 68° | 52° |
| October | 67° | 49° | 31° |
Flying in and out of 86003
The nearest airport, Flagstaff Pulliam, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 132 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86003
Schools across 86003 average a D, better than 10% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Weitzel's Puente De Hozho Bilingual Magnet SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mount Elden Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Summit High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86003 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86003 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 86003 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 86003
Is 86003 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86003 ranks 33,086th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, heat safety, and low disaster risk, and lowest on long commutes and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86003 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $63,900. The overall cost of living runs about 8% above the national average. Set against a $43,988 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 86003 safe?
86003 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $803 per resident a year.
Compare 86003 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86003. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86003 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.
86003 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86003: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86003: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86003: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86003: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86003 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.