Best Places86043, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 86043, 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.
86043 ranks 32,056th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 86043
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.
86043's strengths and weaknesses
Where 86043 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 94% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 169 pleasant days a year, better than 94% of zip codes
Where 86043 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 86043
A household needs to earn about $18,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 86043 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $36,688, 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 86043'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 86043
86043 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 86043.
Who works in 86043, and how
Work in 86043 centers on public administration and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 86043
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 86043.
What the weather is like in 86043, month by month
86043 sees roughly 169 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 86043
The nearest airport, Flagstaff Pulliam, is about 79 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Phoenix Sky Harbor International, about 185 miles away.
The best schools in and around 86043
Schools across 86043 average a D−, better than 3% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Indian Wells ElementaryD− · 11% proficient
- Second Mesa Day SchoolF · 3% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 86043 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
86043 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 86043 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 86043
Is 86043 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 86043 ranks 32,056th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, clean air, and quiet, and lowest on thin health care access and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 86043 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $72,822. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $36,688 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 86043 safe?
86043 is safer than 7% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $706 per resident a year.
Compare 86043 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 86043. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 86043 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.
86043 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 86043: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 86043: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 86043: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 86043: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
86043 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.