Best Places86023, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86023, 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.
86023 ranks 26,920th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 86023
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.
86023's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86023 ranks high
- Short commute12.3 minutes each way, better than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 144 pleasant days a year, better than 87% of zip codes
Where 86023 ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86023
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86023 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $67,729, 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 86023's effective rate of 0.35%, 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 86023
86023 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share, 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 86023.
Who works in 86023, and how
Work in 86023 centers on hospitality & food and public administration. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 24%
Life in 86023
86023 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 92% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 86023 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 86023, month by month
86023 sees roughly 144 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 13. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 28° | 13° |
| April | 66° | 46° | 25° |
| July | 89° | 70° | 49° |
| October | 69° | 48° | 29° |
Flying in and out of 86023
The nearest airport, Flagstaff Pulliam, is about 67 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Harry Reid International, about 169 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86023
Schools across 86023 average a D, better than 7% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Grand Canyon ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Grand Canyon High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86023 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86023 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 86023 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 86023
Is 86023 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86023 ranks 26,920th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on short commutes, low property taxes, and heat safety, and lowest on crime and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86023 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $327,000. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $67,729 median income, cost of living beats 18% of zip codes.
Is 86023 safe?
86023 is safer than 2% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $964 per resident a year.
Compare 86023 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86023. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86023 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.
86023 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86023: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86023: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86023: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86023: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86023 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.