Best Places86004, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86004, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
86004 ranks 12,251st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 86004
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.
86004's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86004 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute18.3 minutes each way, better than 90% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 86004 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86004
A household needs to earn about $123,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86004 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $87,845, 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 86004's effective rate of 0.41%, 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 86004
86004'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 86004.
Who works in 86004, and how
Work in 86004 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 86004
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86004.
What the weather is like in 86004, month by month
86004 sees roughly 134 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 86004
The nearest airport, Flagstaff Pulliam, is about 8 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 86004
Schools across 86004 average a D+, better than 14% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Maine Consolidated SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Pine Forest SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Weitzel's Puente De Hozho Bilingual Magnet SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mount Elden Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Sinagua Middle SchoolD− · 17% proficient
Top high schools
- Northland Preparatory AcademyB · 48% proficient
- Northern Arizona Distance LearningC− · 26% proficient
- Summit High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86004 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86004 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 86004 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 86004 suits
Common questions about living in 86004
Is 86004 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86004 ranks 12,251st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, population health, and short commutes, and lowest on air quality and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86004 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $498,534. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $87,845 median income, cost of living beats 46% of zip codes.
Is 86004 safe?
86004 is safer than 32% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $430 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 86004?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 45 with lows near 16. That works out to about 134 pleasant days a year, more than 83% of zip codes.
Is 86004 good for families?
Schools beat 14% of zip codes, crime safety beats 32%, and childcare runs $924 a month.
Compare 86004 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86004. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86004 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.
86004 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86004: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86004: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86004: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86004: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86004 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.