Best Places86042, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86042, 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.
86042 ranks 30,446th 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 86042
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.
86042's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86042 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 165 pleasant days a year, better than 93% of zip codes
Where 86042 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- School gradeD−, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86042
A household needs to earn about $14,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86042 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,805, 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 86042's effective rate of 0.42%, 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 2 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 86042
86042'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 86042.
Who works in 86042, and how
Work in 86042 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 67%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 23%
Life in 86042
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86042.
What the weather is like in 86042, month by month
86042 sees roughly 165 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 35° | 19° |
| April | 77° | 57° | 36° |
| July | 99° | 81° | 63° |
| October | 78° | 57° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 86042
The nearest airport, Flagstaff Pulliam, is about 86 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 190 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86042
Schools across 86042 average a D−, better than 3% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Indian Wells ElementaryD− · 11% proficient
- First Mesa Elementary SchoolF · 5% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86042 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86042 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 86042 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 86042
Is 86042 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86042 ranks 30,446th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, clean air, and quiet, and lowest on tree cover and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86042 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $55,155. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $61,805 median income, cost of living beats 6% of zip codes.
Is 86042 safe?
86042 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $800 per resident a year.
Compare 86042 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86042. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86042 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.
86042 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86042: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86042: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86042: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86042: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86042 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.